Cheltenham's second ultra-rapid hub has opened at St James Street car park: 10 bays, 85p per kWh or 80p on the app, and the parking tariff runs on top.

Cheltenham now has 20 public electric vehicle charging bays in council car parks rather than 10. Duracell E-Charge has opened its second site in the town at St James Street car park, joining the one already running at Bath Terrace. Both are in car parks run by Cheltenham Borough Council.

The electricity costs the same at either. What differs is the charger mix, and what you pay to park while you are plugged in.

What is at each site

Comparison of Cheltenham's two charging hubs: Bath Terrace has 10 bays on 5 units all at 300kW and parking at £1.30 an hour charged Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm; St James Street has 10 bays on 5 units, three at 300kW and two at 50kW, and parking at £2.10 an hour charged Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm and Sunday 10am to 8pm
Graphic by The Cheltenham Journal. Source: Cheltenham Borough Council, checked 25 August 2026.
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According to the council’s own electric vehicle charging page:

  • Bath Terrace, GL50 2BA: 10 charging bays across five units, every one a 300kW ultra-rapid charger.
  • St James Street, GL52 2SH: 10 charging bays across five units, three of them 300kW ultra-rapid and two 50kW rapid.

Sessions start on a contactless bank card or through the Duracell e-charge app. The council says app users get 5p per kWh off every charge, which works out at 80p per kWh on the app against 85p contactless. On those rates a 40kWh top-up costs £34.00 paying by card, or £32.00 through the app.

The parking tariff is charged on top

This is the part the announcement does not spell out, and it is where the two sites part company. Both hubs sit inside pay and display car parks, so the normal tariff applies while you charge.

  • Bath Terrace charges £1.30 for up to an hour, and only Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm. Outside those hours, including all day Sunday, parking there is free.
  • St James Street charges £2.10 for up to an hour, Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm including bank holidays, and Sunday 10am to 8pm.

So for the same electricity price, an hour plugged in at Bath Terrace costs 80p less in parking on a weekday, and nothing at all on a Sunday. St James Street’s advantage is that it is open later and closer to the north-east side of the town centre. Every council tariff is listed on our Cheltenham roadworks and travel page.

What the council says

Cllr Richard Pineger, cabinet member for climate emergency, said in the council’s announcement that the hub was “delivered at no cost to the taxpayer” and provides “ultra-rapid charging for people who need to get back on the road quickly”.

He added that the chargers are “especially useful for visitors to Cheltenham, helping to attract people into our town centre, shops and cafés while they charge”, and said that for residents who cannot charge at home the council is “also making lower-cost charging options available for everyday use”.

That last commitment is not detailed anywhere on the council’s own charging page, which currently lists only these two ultra-rapid sites and the single set of prices. We have not been able to confirm what the lower-cost option is, or when it arrives, and will report it when the council publishes the detail.

The council also says the sites run on 100% renewable energy.

What it means for you

  • If you are topping up in the town centre on a weekday and either site suits, Bath Terrace is the cheaper stop on parking, and all five of its units are the fastest type.
  • If you need a charge on a Sunday or after 6pm, St James Street is the one that is open on the tariff, and Bath Terrace is free to park in.
  • A 50kW rapid charger is roughly a sixth the rated speed of a 300kW one, so at St James Street it is worth checking which of the five units you are pulling up to.
  • If a session fails, the network support line is 0800 772 0157.

Sources