Instavolt has activated battery storage systems at five additional charging locations over the past two months – part of an expansion plan targeting at least 25 more sites by year-end.
The charging operator says the battery energy storage systems let them offer drivers cheaper rates and more reliable high-speed charging performance.
Each system costs £500,000 per location. The batteries store energy purchased during cheap overnight periods, then power the chargers during expensive daytime hours when demand peaks.
Instavolt passes these savings directly to drivers through a 70p/kWh peak-time rate and 11 hours of 55p/kWh off-peak charging daily.
Real-World Performance Data
The Winchester hub demonstrates how effective the approach can be.
In March, 91% of all energy sold happened during peak hours between 7am and 8pm. But 89% of energy purchased from the grid came during off-peak hours and went into battery storage.
The site also uses solar panels that contributed 42,000kWh of power in March alone.
Delvin Lane, Instavolt’s CEO, called battery storage one of “the most powerful tools” for accelerating the switch to electric vehicles.
“It lets us deploy faster, manage our costs more effectively, and pass genuine savings on to drivers. When you factor in standing charges, VAT, and the full weight of infrastructure costs, passing savings on to drivers is not the easy option. It is the right one, and it is what we are committed to doing.”
Solving Grid Connection Issues
The batteries also help chargers deliver their full potential even when grid connection delays slow deployment.
At Corley Services sites, energy delivered per session increased between 22% and 33% after adding battery storage systems.
Dr Andy Palmer, CEO and founder of battery specialists Palmer Energy Technology, said the approach addresses a fundamental infrastructure problem.
“The grid connection problem is real and it isn’t going away quickly. What Instavolt has understood is that you don’t have to wait for it to be solved centrally before you invest. Store cheap overnight power in batteries, draw it down during peak hours, pass the saving to the driver. That’s not complicated, it’s just disciplined infrastructure thinking.”
Palmer pointed to the Corley data as proof the system works.
“The Corley data tells you everything you need to know: a 33% increase in energy delivered per session because drivers can actually charge at the speed the hardware is capable of. That’s what good engineering looks like in practice.”
Instavolt now operates eight sites with battery storage systems. The company plans 20 more installations this year and at least eight additional sites in 2027.
