A total of 16 ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging bays have been opened at a charging hub at Sale Water Park.

The £1million site, installed and maintained by EV charging network Be.EV, is capable of charging 380 cars on any given day, with both Trafford residents and commuters able to access the site around the clock. 

Be.EV invited members of the public down to the 152-acre park to celebrate the opening of the site.

Kayakers, swimmers, dog walkers and sailors can now charge their vehicles whilst out on the water or visiting the nearby Boathouse Grill restaurant. 

Drivers will be bale to charge their EV to 80 per cent in as little as 20 minutes and will help commuters with the M60 just minutes away.

The opening comes at a time when national parks across the country are ramping up their EV charging offering, with the Lake District recently announcing an ‘EV Trail’ around the world heritage site. 

Be.EV’s public charging network is the largest across the North West with a rapidly expanding national footprint. The network has an operational availability rate of 99.6 per cent.  

The Sale Water Park site is helping the charging network reach its ambitious target of getting each of Trafford’s 236,000 residents within 10 minutes of a charger. 

Asif Ghafoor, chief executive of Be.EV, said: “We’re really pleased to be bringing ultra-rapid charging to Sale. The water park is a hub of activity, and it was great to see the local community and Be.EV members visit the site and learn about the cutting-edge chargers.

“It’s important that EV charging matches what communities need, and now local residents and passers-by can conveniently charge their car whilst out on the water, or simply enjoying the scenery. It’s a beautiful site, and we’re proud to be providing visitors with reliable, ultra-rapid charging.”

Richard Roe, Trafford Council Corporate Director of Place, said: “Sale Water Park is one of the borough’s most popular destinations so we’re delighted visitors will now be able to take advantage of these convenient rapid chargers.

"We hope their launch will encourage more people to join the EV movement while continuing our ambition to make it possible for anyone to go electric, no matter where they live in Trafford.”

Sale Water Park is the latest project in Be.EV’s wider collaboration with Trafford Council, and has already seen more than 41 chargers go live across the region.