The best (and busiest) times of day to charge on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway

It might still be March but the schools are already preparing to close for Easter.

An estimated 14 million motorists will pack up their cars and hit the road to visit family, friends and other spring holiday hotspots.

And with most schools packing up on Thursday March 28, it will be busier than ever over the Easter weekend.

That means an increase in demand for our chargers across the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway – with motorway services predicted to be 20% busier than usual but do not worry, as we are prepared and ready to brighten your journey this Easter and make charging even more accessible.

To help keep Britain charged up and moving, we’ve crunched the numbers from Easter 2023 to predict where the busiest EV charging hubs are likely to be across our network this year along with the times when they’ll be most in-demand and the times when they’ll be quietest.

The best times to charge

Last year, the Thursday before Easter was as busy as Good Friday on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, with many travelling after work and school so they were with family on the Friday. We expect this to be the same again.

Looking at the data from 2023, things will then likely quieten down a little – although still significantly busier than a regular weekend – on Easter Saturday and Sunday, before another peak on Easter Monday as the nation travels back home ready for work on Tuesday.

On average, across the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, the busiest time to charge will be midday.

By comparison, 9am and 3pm will be around 20% quieter. So, consider switching your lunchtime sandwich stop for a morning coffee stop or mid-afternoon snack break.

And, if your journey allows, charging before 8am or after 6pm is well worth it, as demand drops dramatically at these times.

Help is at hand

We know that actions speak louder than words, which is why we’re not just advising you when and where to charge, we’ll actually be on site to help manage charging.

We’ll have GRIDSERVE charging attendants at the three busiest sites over the Easter weekend: Moto Exeter (Good Friday), Moto Rugby (Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday) and Moto Cherwell Valley (Easter Monday). We’ll also be at Moto Wetherby all weekend and Pease Pottage on Easter Monday.

They’ll manage and monitor arrival of drivers to minimise wait times and prevent queue jumping.