From building one of the UK's largest ultra-rapid charging networks to rolling out Plug & Charge technology across hundreds of locations, MFG EV Power has quickly become a major force in public EV charging.
We sat down with Martin Symes, EV Director at MFG EV Power, to talk about the company's journey, the future of ultra-rapid charging, community investment, and why partnerships with Octopus Electroverse are helping make charging simpler for drivers across the UK.
Let's get plugged...
EV Power was launched back in 2021. Our goal from day one was to create a truly national network that could serve communities up and down the country. Fast forward to today, and we’re proud to be the UK’s largest Rapid/Ultra Rapid operator, with a clear mission to support the UKs transition to electric vehicles.
Our first site was built in Elephant & Castle, in central London. It went live in early 2021. It had 7x150kW chargers (having since been upgraded with 2x 300kW chargers too) and was one of the first ultra urban EV charging hubs. That site really set the tone for what we wanted to achieve - making high-speed, reliable charging accessible in urban and ultra-urban areas where drivers really need it.
We’ve come a long way since that first site! As of now, we have over 2,000 charging bays spread across nearly 600 sites throughout the UK. And we’re not stopping there.
Community engagement matters because the EV hubs we operate are not abstract pieces of infrastructure. They sit at the heart of the towns, villages, and high streets where our customers live and work. As EV Power continues to scale the country's most ambitious ultra-rapid EV charging rollout, every site we touch changes the local environment, traffic patterns, air quality, and customer experience for that community. Getting that right is both a commercial imperative and a responsibility.
EV Power is deploying infrastructure in towns and rural locations where the market alone wouldn't necessarily prioritise it, so that the EV transition reaches every community we serve not just premium EV drivers on motorway corridors.
There are a few key changes I’d love to see. First, aligning VAT on public charging with home charging (currently 20% vs 5%) would make EVs more accessible for everyone. We also need faster, more streamlined grid connections and planning reforms to speed up site development. And it’s vital that the government maintains a strong Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate to give the industry certainty and keep the momentum going.
Reliability is non-negotiable for us, and we maintain robust maintenance protocols and continuous technology upgrades to ensure customers can drive and charge with confidence. Our recent rollout of Plug & Charge technology across 95% of our network is a great example - making charging seamless and delivering convenience at scale.
Charging speeds approaching parity with refuelling. 350–400 kW DC fast charging is now becoming the standard for premium EVs, but the next leap, Megawatt Charging is moving from heavy-duty truck pilots into passenger vehicle infrastructure.
Location, amenities, and futureproofing. We prioritise high-traffic areas and underserved communities, ensuring our sites are accessible to as many drivers as possible. Amenities like retail, food, and comfortable waiting areas are a must. And we always plan for sufficient power capacity - not just for today’s needs, but for tomorrow’s growth.
We offer ultra-rapid charging at 150kW, 300kW, and 400kW. That means you can add around 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes on a 150kW charger. The future will likely be high powered distributed systems that will support the changing car parc by providing a greater level of flexibility across our locations.
We aim to have installed over 3,000 ultra-rapid chargers by 2030, and ultimately, we want to electrify Motor Fuel Groups’s entire forecourt network. We have only ever operated in the UK and that remains our focus.
Partnerships like EV Power and Octopus Electroverse are essential to the public charging infrastructure because they break down barriers to EV adoption by making charging simple, reliable, and accessible. By combining EV Power’s extensive charging network with Octopus Electroverse’s innovative payment solutions, this collaboration sets a new industry standard for interoperability, convenience and customer satisfaction.
Martin Symes, EV Director at EV Power
Rolls-Royce Spectre… you said dream! Bringing it a little closer to reality though, I would like to get my hands on an Audi S6 e-tron.
1234 miles over 5 days as part of COP26 in 2020, we drove around Scotland including parts of the NC500. It was a fantastic trip, the Scottish Highlands scenery is stunning. I regularly do long journeys to visit our hubs across the country, most recently from our HQ in St Ablans to our hub in Newquay being the longest single trip at 263 miles.
Pre-conditioning - pre-heat or pre-cool cabin while still plugged in, not after you unplug at home and pre-condition your battery on the route to a rapid hub (most modern EVs do this automatically when you set the charger as a nav destination) can cut a 30-minute session to 18 to 20 minutes.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Our sites are designed to be simple, but our team is always happy to assist.
Just be considerate - move your car once you’re done charging so others can plug in and when it comes to Ultra Rapid charging, only charge to 80%, your battery management system will drop your charge speed so low it’s better to move on, both for you and others who may need to charge.
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