Osprey Charging has been selected to provide EV charging infrastructure for asset management company Legal & General.
Osprey will supply infrastructure for Legal & General’s (L&G’s) ReAssure Funds as the two companies, advised by real estate consultancy Knight Frank, roll out ultra-rapid charging facilities to retail and leisure parks across the UK.
The first site, in Stoke-on-Trent, is live with four rapid charging points and two 16-bay ultra-rapid hubs are in construction at retail parks in Essex and Watford. Both sites currently under development are located just off the M25 and M1 respectively, which Osprey says offers drivers an “ideal” opportunity to recharge their vehicles and enjoy a break from their journey.
In 2023, Zapmap’s annual survey of EV drivers found that motorway service areas had overtaken supermarkets as the most-visited charging location. In 2024, the trend continued, with 58% of respondents reporting charging their EVs at motorway services. This year, supermarket car park charging has dropped to 32%, which Zapmap attributes to the removal of free charging options.
Osprey will install ultra-rapid charging facilities at a total of six sites from L&G’s ReAssure portfolio, delivering a collective 72 chargepoints as the asset manager future-proofs its assets.
Andrew Nosworthy, commercial director at Osprey Charging, said: “By installing reliable, high-powered charging hubs, we’re making EV ownership more convenient and accessible for drivers across the country, whilst making these excellent retail parks even more attractive to tenants and customers.”
Osprey’s chargers are powered by 100% renewable energy and the firm’s in-house software, Osprey Iris, offers fleet integrations and high reliability. It also accepts payments from all major third-party methods including fleet fuel cards, which is in line with UK Chargepoint Operator regulations.
The measures, which came into effect in November 2024, are intended to improve customer experience, answering the assertation made by those reluctant to switch to an EV that the charging network is insufficient.
The Zapmap survey mentioned above also found that while 71% of respondents have a dedicated home charger, 51% use public charging at least monthly, indicating the importance of public infrastructure for EV drivers. The average satisfaction rating for publicly available charging services was 64 out of 100—plenty of room for improvement.
Zapmap figures also showed that there are currently 486 rapid charging hubs across the UK open to all EVs, including 222 new charging hubs made available since the beginning of 2024.
