Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen helps to make EV chargers stand out

Electric vehicle charging provider Gridserve has signed up famed interior designer, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

Best known for presenting the home makeover TV show, Changing Rooms, Llewelyn-Bowen has been appointed as Gridserve’s ‘Chief Visibility Officer’.

Thankfully, there is no evidence of any terracotta paint, MDF or rag-rolling in the EV charging company’s plans. 

Instead, Llewelyn-Bowen will take on a far more serious task of ensuring that British drivers can locate EV charging infrastructure.

A bold approach to EV charger visibility

Research by Gridserve discovered that more than half of adults underestimate the level of electric vehicle charging provision in the UK.

In fact, there are now more than 87,000 charging devices available. However, Gridserve believes that outdated signage and poor placement makes many of them hard to find. 

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will ensure there is no chance of missing public charger locations. Indeed, the flamboyant designer arrived for his Gridserve photoshoot wearing a highlighter-yellow suit. 

His suggestions included the addition of fake flamingos to Gridserve’s Electric Forecourts, along with a mobile digital advertising van.

Solving range anxiety through awareness

Despite the tongue-in-cheek approach, Gridserve says increasing awareness of EV charging is key to boosting confidence among potential electric car owners.

Knowing that charging devices are easy to find should ‘reduce range anxiety, help drivers make quick decisions on the road, and turn charging from an uncertain task into an intuitive part of everyday travel,’ the company says.

Gridserve’s campaign comes after it added new 400kW devices to a charging station at Centaurus Park in Bristol.

Capable of recharging two vehicles at once, the ABB E-mobility A400 devices can, with compatible cars, add more than a hundred miles of range in under 10 minutes. 

Remarkably, that’s even less time than it would take Handy Andy to knock-up a set of MDF shelves on Changing Rooms…

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