THE UK's first Electric Forecourt has officially opened.

Gridserve is welcoming customers to its state-of-the-art, electric vehicle charging station for the first time today (Monday, December 7).

The station, which is based off the A131 at Great Notley, offers charging for up to 36 vehicles.

It has capacity to provide 200-miles of range in just 20 minutes.

Gridserve is aiming to build similar charging stations across the UK ahead of the ban on petrol an diesel cars, which will come into effect in 2030.

Chief exec Toddington Harper said: "Today’s announcement represents a major milestone in achieving Gridserve’s purpose to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change.

"It’s our collective responsibility to prevent greenhouse gas emissions rising further, and electric vehicles powered by clean energy represent a large part of the solution.

"However, charging has to be simple and free of anxiety, which is why we’ve designed our Electric Forecourts entirely around the needs of drivers, updating the traditional petrol station model for a net-zero carbon world and delivering the confidence people need to make the switch to electric transport today – a full decade ahead of the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars

"Together with our charging-included electric vehicle leasing business, that we are also launching today in partnership with Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, people now have the full confidence to make the transition to an electric vehicle, knowing that charging is in-hand, and it’s actually less expensive to use an electric car than a petrol or diesel alternative."

Drivers charging at the Electric Forecourt in Braintree will initially pay just 24p per kWh of energy - said to be among the lowest ultra-high power charging rates on the market today.

It means a typical charge from 20 to 80 per cent costs under £10 for an average-size electric vehicle.

A WHSmith travel shop, Costa Coffee, Booths, Post Office, and Gourmade are all based at the site.

The facility also includes a waiting lounge, free superfast WiFi, toilets, a dedicated children's area, wellbeing area with exercise bikes that generate electricity, and business meeting room pods.

Braintree MP James Cleverly said: "Our government is committed to increasing the take-up of electric vehicles, to clean our air and enable us to achieve net zero carbon emissions as quickly as possible, which is why we have just brought forward the ban on new petrol or diesel to 2030.

"Gridserve’s Electric Forecourt, close to Braintree, is the most advanced charging facility in the world and is pioneering the world-class infrastructure required to support our policies and drive the confidence we need to make the move to sustainable transport in the UK.”

The charging station is powered by solar panels based at the site, as well as a solar farm in Clay Hill in Bedfordshire.