- Moto Hospitality plans a sustainable motorway service station at junction 16.
- Key features include 50 EV chargers and 62 HGV spaces, addressing carbon emissions and range anxiety.
- The project aims to create jobs, offers eco-friendly amenities, and welcomes community input through September 29.
Moto has unveiled plans for a sustainability-focused motorway service station on the M4
Currently open for public consultation, this proposal envisions a sizable, eco-friendly facility situated on the south-east side of the carriageway.
One standout feature of this development is its staunch commitment to sustainable transport solutions. Specifically, it aims to host 50 electric vehicle (EV) chargers. This addresses the pressing need to reduce carbon emissions from transport and offers respite for EV drivers, alleviating range anxiety.
Additionally, the new service station intends to cater to heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) with the addition of 62 dedicated spaces. This move aligns with the broader push for efficient, reliable, and safe on-the-go charging solutions.
Moreover, the site embraces eco-friendliness in multiple ways. Solar panels will harness renewable energy. Furthermore, the facility will feature a lush green living roof and three acres of wildlife habitats. It’ll even create an estimated 150 jobs in the process.
Moto Property Director Jess Lockwood said:
“We recognise we have a huge part to play in reducing carbon emissions from transport and we are fully focused on reducing range anxiety for UK motorists through capacity, reliability, simplicity and charging speed.
“We are committed to ensuring that our proposals for Junction 16 of the M4 reflect local priorities and look forward to hearing feedback from residents and local stakeholders, in advance of submitting an outline planning application to Wiltshire Council.”
Local residents and stakeholders are strongly encouraged to share their opinions on these plans. The consultation period, which extends until September 29, provides a crucial window for community input before an outline planning application is submitted to Wiltshire Council.
Dan Munford Insight Research & Global Convenience Store Focus CEO and Chairman, said:
“In the near term service stations are going to do very well if they offer an efficient, reliable, safe on-the go charging solution. There is a great need and demand for this. Looking further ahead new opportunities for retail disruption are also apparent. This new Moto development offers us a few hints of what that may look like. The key question we should be asking ourselves for 2030 is not ‘what have customers got used to from a Petrol station, C-store, QSR, Motorway services?’ But ‘what might customers want from an e-charging break?”
We caught up with Josh Spencer, Ford & Slater’s EV Sales Manager and all-round electric HGV expert. He said:
“This represents a great opportunity for the inclusion of 350kW truck charging infrastructure as part of the projects scope.
These chargers would allow drivers to add up to 150 miles of range within their mandatory rest period, making over 80% of UK duty cycles capable of electrification today.”
This project holds enormous potential for the UK’s EV infrastructure. These efficient, purpose-built EV hubs, like the one we’ve seen in the NEC Birmingham, need to be commonplace across the nation and the world to ensure an equitable emobility transition.
