Delvin Lane is the CEO of InstaVolt, a UK-based, ultra-rapid public charging network which operates charging stations across the country and has also expanded into mainland Europe. We spoke to Delvin to hear his thoughts on EV ownership, InstaVolt’s journey, the future of the public charging network, and more.
What EV do you drive, and why?
I currently have a Lotus Eletre SUV. I like the large size of it, being able to fit in golf clubs, rugby kit, and everything else we do as a family. It’s also fun to drive, and loaded with tech. More importantly, I got an amazing lease deal on it – being cheaper than both some of the Audis and Teslas at the time.
From your own personal experience, how has owning, driving and charging an EV changed over the years?
It’s become a lot easier. Firstly, on choice, you’re seeing a whole range of cars that suit every individual and every family. We’re also seeing a lot of small new electric city cars come through at the moment.
Support for EVs has changed as well. I’m now seeing my local dealers, whether they’re newcomers like BYD or the European manufacturers, having a much better support function which makes ownership even easier.
InstaVolt has built a solid reputation around reliability and ease of use. As the UK charging network matures, what do you see as the next competitive battleground for charge point operators, and are there lessons from the UK for the other countries InstaVolt operates in?
I think reliability will continue to be a really important factor, and that’s at the heart of what we do. Range anxiety has gone away from a perspective of finding somewhere to charge, and now drivers need to be sure that the rapid or ultra-rapid chargers that they go to are convenient and reliable.
The next key bit that drivers are looking for are great locations where they need them. You don’t want to be going miles off your main road to find a charger – you want it there on the strategic road networks and on the main arterial roads.
The next competitive factor is speed of charging. People, very much in the UK, are time bound constantly, so they want the fastest charge possible in a great location. Also, I think typical of most drivers, is that after an hour or so, they’ll want to stop and use the bathroom and grab a coffee. So having great facilities nearby is also indicative of a great spot for charging.
InstaVolt also operates in Spain, Portugal, Iceland, and Ireland. We’re seeing those markets develop slowly but surely, and I would say they’re typically two to three years behind the UK. Spain in particular feels focused on the infrastructure first, rather than the cars. Some of the legislation over there states that we would need to build 20-30 chargers in a retail park, where the current level of EVs on the road demonstrates that the need is only two chargers. For me, that’s the wrong way round.
Public confidence in EVs is increasingly shaped by the charging experience rather than the vehicle itself. What do you think most policymakers and OEMs still misunderstand about what drivers actually value when they plug in?
I think there’s a strong relationship between charging and the cars themselves. It’d be remiss of us as a charging operator to just look at us and not look at the cars, and it’d also be remiss of us to only look at the cars and not at the location.
It’s the interaction that creates that experience for drivers. We do quite a lot of secret shopper work at InstaVolt, sending out independent people to go and ask these questions constantly and people continually tell us: When I plug in, will it work, and will it work quickly?
There’s nothing worse than when you think you’ve connected but you’re not sure, you’re waiting. Some of the chargers out there are increasingly complex to operate. Even for me who is pretty savvy at charger operation, some of them I struggle to figure out. Simplicity and ease of use is really important as well.
Drivers outside of core hours are also asking for 24 hour facilities, so we’re working really hard for more and more of our sites to have accessible toilets available 24/7, and maybe somewhere to grab a coffee during these hours – which could take the form of a quality vending machine.
When it comes to this 24/7 operation, driver safety is a priority. The test is, would I be happy for any of my family members to charge here at midnight? If the answer is no, then the onus is on us and the landlord partners to do something about it.
As ultra-rapid charging becomes more common, how do you balance the energy demands of high-power sites with grid constraints and the push toward renewable energy integration?
It’s a constant battle and also a constant opportunity. We’ve got a great team that understands this, with a lot of them having come from the big utilities who know how to work with the grid system rather than against it.
You will have seen our Winchester Superhub, which was our first large scale battery storage implementation. We’re going bigger on battery storage in 2026, with another 5 sites recently opened, 10 in build, and more ready for battery installs. At the end of last year we added the battery storage at Corley Services on the M6, both northbound and southbound, where we’ve not only increased the number of chargers but also boosted speeds from 50kW to 160kW without any additional grid capacity.
Later this year, we’ll be opening our Chicklade hub on the A303, which will also have a large solar and battery installation on site. We will always push the boundaries of renewables to make sure we can offer the fastest charging experience possible.
We’re seeing growing convergence between charging, retail, and hospitality. How do you see charging hubs evolving as destinations rather than just refuelling stops?
I think it’ll always be a balance. Not every charging hub needs to have 30 chargers and be surrounded by a retail park. You’ll see a combination of small locations that are conveniently located, in the same way you see smaller supermarket chains on local streets. They’re great two thirds of the time, but then we’ll also go to the big supermarket.
I think that’ll be the same for charging. When you’re out and about, particularly for busy commuters or people that travel a lot for work, they’ll want really good locations in and around the main road network. But likewise, people that do live further afield want little local charging destinations where they can grab a coffee on the go and move on. So, I think it’s about balance.
Fleet electrification is accelerating faster than private adoption in many sectors. How is InstaVolt adapting its network and commercial model to serve fleets alongside everyday drivers?
Fleet operators have always been a big part of the InstaVolt make-up. We work with fleet operators, whether it’s directly with OEMs, or through organisations like Corpay and Allstar Fuel Card, as well as the big corporate fleets we deal with.
I think some people think the fact fleets are dominating the EV market is a negative. But I don’t think that, as today’s fleet electric car is tomorrow’s second-hand electric car in a few years. To have that wide spread of used electric cars on the market will be another tipping point in the EV evolution.
I think fleets should be welcomed for the work that they’re doing, because ultimately, it will have a positive knock-on effect for the rest of the industry.
What else do you see a well-planned public national charging network looking like?
I would also add some more points on policy. I think the UK government has done an awful lot to encourage EV ownership and uptake, which can be commended.
We work closely with OZEV and the government to support them directly on this consumer adoption journey, and we’ve found one of the key barriers to confidence in the market is knowing where EV chargers are, which is down to signage.
We saw some positive moves from the government last year about enabling EV charging signage on the strategic road network. They invited our Winchester Superhub to be the first location to have dedicated signage, on the A34. However, that site’s now been open for a year and we still don’t have permission for that signage to go up.
Yes, there’s a government mandate for it, but that hasn’t really filtered down into the operational working of National Highways. It’s all very well having a policy, but unless you’ve got the actual instruments to enact the policy, we’re failing.
If you’re one of the many hundreds of thousands of drivers that we talk to that are just thinking about changing, and you’re only hearing the negative press about net-zero and lack of infrastructure, well, you’re not going to do it.
Looking ahead to the second half of this decade, what single change, technological, regulatory, or behavioural, do you believe would most accelerate mass EV adoption in the UK?
We’re going to be pushing the boundaries of speed of charging. We see a lot of chargers out there that are badged as 300 and 400 kW, but they don’t deliver that at the point of use. So in combination with battery storage roll out, we will probably be one of the first charge point providers this year to install megawatt charging.
We’re doing that in conjunction with some of the OEMs that are looking to bring megawatt capable cars to the UK. I’ve seen them in operation at some of the Chinese plants, and I’ve seen cars charge at 800 kW and then just tipping over the 1 megawatt charging speeds. It’s incredible. You are literally filling your car from 5% to 80% in under 3 minutes. I mean, it’s transformational. Now that’s going to take some time, particularly getting the infrastructure in, and that’s why we’re starting that ahead of the curve. I think innovation and charging speed will really continue to be the next tipping point for EV takeup.
