We visit the UK's second-biggest electric vehicle charging hub in Rhyl

The second-largest in the UK with capacity for 36 vehicles, the hub became open to the public for the first time on Thursday, December 8.

The site, based at West Kinmel Street car park near Rhyl's railway station, is also the largest of its kind in Wales.

Funded by the Welsh Government, the completion of the site follows the installation of two EV chargers at Kings' Avenue car park, Prestatyn in the summer.

Rhyl’s new hub comprises both “fast” 7kWh chargers for users with no access to off-street parking, and “rapid” 50kWh chargers for a quick charge top-up.

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WATCH: A visit to Denbighshire's electric vehicle fleet and charging points

Second-biggest electric vehicle charging hub in UK goes live in Rhyl

The rapid chargers will also assist taxi drivers by minimising disruption to operational work time.

All of the chargers at the hub are open for public use, while three parking bays and charging units are specifically allocated for disabled users.

The units offer a range of payment options including contactless card, app-driven and RFID card.

Daytime and peak time users will still pay for a parking space at the hub, but the electric vehicle bays will have no parking charges between 5pm-8am, as per the rest of the car park.

At Rhyl, the rapid chargers cost 45p per kWh + 45p connection fee, and the fast chargers 35p per kWh + 45p connection fee.

It it similar to the EV chargers in Prestatyn, which cost users 45p per kWh.

Cllr Barry Mellor, Denbighshire County Council (DCC)'s lead member for environment and transport, said: “For our residents who live in terraced housing, they haven’t much chance of getting electric chargers to their houses.

“So it’s an ideal position, especially for those in the houses around here, to come and park up at night and charge their electric vehicles up.

“It’s also for the visitors that we have in the summer months – I know a lot of people with electric vehicles who, if they’re going anywhere far, do a check first of all to see where they get their vehicles charged up, so this is going to be an ideal location for them.

“The 50kWh chargers will be ideal for taxis to have a quick charge – each time I go past the chargers in Prestatyn, there are always taxis using them.

“I don’t think it’s a gamble, because you’ve only got to look at how the number of people changing over to electric vehicles is still going up, even in this recession. I can only see it as being really well-used.

“Say somebody wants to go to Llandudno and is travelling quite a distance - they could spend half a day here in Rhyl (while their EV charges) before travelling on (which in turn could boost trade in the area).

“Even with second hand EVs, the prices will always start to come down the more demand goes up. It’s definitely (beneficial) for the environment."

The new EV charging hub in Rhyl (Image: Newsquest)

There are roughly more than 620,000 EVs currently on UK roads, a number that has indeed continued to rise, with 28,832 new registrations of EVs in October.

Though some have questioned the feasibility of such a scheme, Cllr Mellor believes EV will become increasingly commonplace as time goes on, and is pleased to see Denbighshire help get the ball rolling, in some respects.

He also pointed to the commitment shown by Welsh Government to supporting the project financially as evidence of its viability.

He added: “We’ll get used to them. People used to say to me seatbelts will never happen, that nobody would ever wear them. This is going to improve air quality, as well.

"I’ve been in one before as a passenger, and they’re superb, and the new electric taxis the council has brought in are easy for older people to get in and out of.

“It (Rhyl's EV hub) will probably show its best in the summer months, like everything else in a holiday resort.

“It’s got to be the future, and I don’t think Welsh Government would have put the funding in that they have done if they thought it wasn’t the future.”

Denbighshire County Council (DCC)'s EV fleet in Bodelwyddan boasts roughly 30 live EVs, used by such services as highways and maintenance, waste, traffic teams, and social services.

It is also used for public transport, such as taxis for school runs, or its 16-seater, demand-responsive minibus based in Ruthin; the only one of its kind in the UK.

These projects are part of DCC's fight against climate change, following the declaration of a climate and ecological emergency in 2019 and adoption of the climate and ecological change strategy in 2021.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures state nearly 300 EV were privately registered in Denbighshire by the end of the last quarter.

The Prestatyn charging points have been hugely successful so far, with DCC's EV fleet officer, Martin Griffiths, telling the Journal in October that, in its first three months, usage trebled what was projected by the council.

The council hopes to hold an official opening for the new EV hub in Rhyl next spring.