Why Raleigh X GRIDSERVE is bigger news than many realise

Earlier this month Raleigh announced their partnering with GRIDSERVE, a sustainable energy company, opening a new educational bike display with Smilebikes, at Norwich Electric Forecourt.

By joining forces, Raleigh has partnered with an organisation which is at the forefront of EV charging. The business has, just this week, received, “a green loan of over half a billion pounds (which) will see  GRIDSERVE push on with a huge expansion of its UK-wide EV charging network – with over 3,000 new high power charge points set to be installed at more than 500 sites.”

Talking with Transport + Energy, Toddington Harper, Founder and CEO of GRIDSERVE, said: “To secure the largest debt raise globally for a privately-owned charge point operator is a remarkable endorsement of GRIDSERVE’s electric vehicle charging network, our Sun-to-Wheel strategy, our fantastic team and our future expansion plans. This financing – which was a hugely popular transaction amongst banks, attracting overwhelming market demand – will accelerate our delivery, providing customers further confidence to go electric, and fully charge GRIDSERVE’s mission to move the needle on climate change, precisely at the time when urgent action is so critically required.”

Back to that Raleigh X GRIDSERVE partnership. Looks a little different now you know those numbers, hey?

This week has seen GRIDSERVE introduce its “new EV charging Super Hub (which) cracks the grid capacity dilemma” – as reported in Electric Drives – with the business showing off its new flagship EV charging station in Cornwall. The location features a “canopy covering the twelve EV bays, constructed out of solar panels, which help provide zero-emission energy to the chargers in addition to the energy provided from the grid. Coincidentally, GRIDSERVE also notes that there is a correlation between the hours of peak solar energy generation and charger energy consumption.”

It’s in this context that the Norwich Electric Forecourt is being positioned as “more than an EV charging station”, with the design centred around making it “a destination that has inspiring spots to work, rest and shop”. By opening a new educational bike display in Smilebikes at the Forecourt, Raleigh aims to increase awareness, highlighting the positive environment and societal impact they can have.

Tim Gregory, Owner of Smilebikes said, ‘’The whole team at Smilebikes are incredibly proud of the new partnership between Smilebikes, our longstanding suppliers at Raleigh UK and GRIDSERVE. With electric vehicles now taking their rightful place as the future of transport, we believe that a central hub for EVs, both two wheeled and four, is a great way of showing off and demonstrating this new and sustainable technology, which will enrich all of our lives and the planet as a whole’’.

‘’Smilebikes was founded off the back of eBikes being the life changing catalyst for keeping active with a medical condition’’.

The new partnership with GRIDSERVE is an extension of Raleigh’s core mission: getting more people out on bikes and enjoying nature. With this partnership and previous projects like the ‘I’m a Cyclist’ campaign Raleigh aims to speak to everyone who’d like to cycle more but might need more inspiration. GRIDSERVE was a natural fit for a partnership with their mission to deliver sustainable energy on the scale needed to move the needle on climate change.

Paul Brant, GRIDSERVE Electric Forecourt Director, said: “We are thrilled to work with Raleigh and Smilebikes on the new educational bike display. This new partnership adds to an already comprehensive EV experience at the Electric Forecourt, where visitors can learn about a more sustainable future, test drive electric vehicles or ride an e-bike. Since opening in April 2022, Norfolk has seen an uptake in EV registrations, growing by almost 50% – ahead of the UK average. We hope to see the same uptake with two wheels now as well. We look forward to helping more people make the switch to electric.”

During EV demo events it’s also possible to test ride any of the available Raleigh bikes like the Motus, Centros and Trace. Introducing Raleigh’s eBikes as sustainable transport alternatives is not only a win for the planet but for everyone who wants to play an active role in creating a better future with less emission.

Lee Kidger, Managing Director of Raleigh said “We are delighted to partner with Smilebikes and GRIDSERVE to bring electric bikes to a new audience. GRIDSERVE, Smilebikes and Raleigh have many common values including the ambition to get more people using sustainable methods of transport and having community focus with positive local impact. The ambition of the collective is to bring the joy of electric bikes to the masses through engagement events, or simply a test ride on the interactive bike on display inside the forecourt”.