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Major shopping centre to become Britain's largest electric car charging hub

Raw charging will deliver a total of 1,000 new charging bays across 28 Landsec locations, including the Kent retail hotspot.

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By FREDA LEWIS-STEMPEL, MOTORING REPORTER

Updated: 08:40 EDT, 17 March 2026

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Bluewater shopping centre is set to become Britain's biggest 'retail destination' for electric car charging, it has been announced.

Raw Charging, a major retail and leisure charging operator, is partnering with commercial property developer Landsec to deliver a total of 1,000 new charging bays across 28 Landsec locations, including the Kent shopping hotspot.

Raw has committed to ploughing £24.5million into the EV chargepoint rollout to meet growing customer demand at high-footfall locations.

Each individual site where charging devices will be installed or expanded have been chosen based on a threshold of generating more than 20 million visitors annually.

Some of the chargers will be able to top up customer EVs in as little as 30 minutes, meaning shoppers should return to cars with a 100 per cent battery range after going to the shops.

The UK's largest EV charging destination is being built at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent as chargepoint operator Raw spends £24.5million on expanding its network

To ensure it is easy for EV drivers to use the network while going about their daily activities, all chargepoints will be fully accessible via contactless payment, as per the government's requirements, and are compatible with all major charging apps.

As well as new EV chargers being built, the partnership will replace and upgrade existing chargers to make sure that the network continues to meet current standards for speed, reliability, or accessibility.

You can expect to find Raw Charging’s network at popular destinations including the National Trust, Merlin Entertainments (such as Legoland Windsor and Alton Towers), McArthurGlen Designer Outlets, and several leading hotel groups.

Raw says that collectively these destinations power over 400,000 electric journeys per year.

Neil Broadbank, CCO, RAW Charging, said: 'We’re proud to partner with Landsec, whose top-tier retail and leisure destinations attract millions of visitors each year.

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'Our EV charging hubs give customers confidence to recharge on arrival, enhancing their experience and keeping them on-site longer.

'This investment goes beyond infrastructure - it’s about connecting amazing places and supporting the UK’s transition to cleaner, greener transport.'

Ben Padley, head of consumer at Landsec, added: 'Our destinations welcome millions of visitors each year and are the hubs for communities across the UK.

'Creating exceptional experiences while supporting a more sustainable future is central to how we shape those places.

'As more drivers switch to electric, retail destinations like ours have a clear responsibility to make charging simple, accessible and part of everyday life.

Britain's public EV charging network grew by just over 19 per cent in 2025, with 14,097 new charge devices added over the year, according to new figures from Zapmap.