• Swindon & Wiltshire Motors
• Monday October 5 2026

A303 EV superhub gears up with new food offer

InstaVolt’s new A303 EV superhub at Chicklade has taken a major step forward after the charging network signed Salisbury-based Chickpea Group to open a butcher, baker and deli on site next March.

Chickpea Provisions will join the 30-charger Chicklade Superhub, one of the UK’s largest and fastest electric vehicle charging sites, on the key route between London and the South West.

The food offer will open from 6am to 10pm, serving drivers everything from breakfast en route to the coast to a late meal on the return journey. Toilets and charging will be available around the clock.

Chicklade will feature 30 ultra-rapid 240kW chargers and is designed to cope with peak demand from commuters, weekend visitors and summer holiday traffic travelling to and from the West Country.

The A303 links the M3 with Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, making the site a strategically important stop for drivers heading between London and the South West.

InstaVolt chief executive Delvin Lane said the development had been shaped by customer feedback.

“Our customers told us what they want from a charging stop, and Chicklade is the answer,” he said. “It gives families, holidaymakers and local drivers somewhere they’ll actually want to pull in, with great food, a shop with local produce worth browsing and fast, reliable charging waiting outside.

“It’s the kind of stop we think every driver deserves.”

Chickpea Provisions will sell local produce alongside its butcher, bakery and deli offering. Chickpea Group co-founder and chief executive Ethan Davids said the company was looking forward to expanding in the West Country.

“We are excited to be opening Chickpea Provisions next year and relish the prospect of being able to creatively grow our business and our footprint in the West Country,” he said.

The Chicklade scheme follows InstaVolt’s Winchester Superhub, which opened in March 2025. Like Winchester, it will combine on-site solar panels with battery storage.

The battery system stores energy generated on site, alongside grid power bought during quieter periods, then releases it when demand peaks. InstaVolt says this will support consistent ultra-rapid charging at busy times while helping keep prices competitive.

Drivers will be able to pay by contactless card, while the free InstaVolt app or RFID card will offer rewards including off-peak charging rates between 8pm and 7am.