The Electric Highway won't be the only route for drivers soon, following an official decision which will open up motorway service stations to more charging providers. 

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Gridserve – which owns The Electric Highway – has committed to reducing the length of its exclusive rights with motorway service providers. This will allow the sites to apply for government grants to improve electrical supply infrastructure. 

Gridserve will now cut its current contracts with MOTO by around two years and Roadchef by around four years. The contract with the third operator, Extra, is due to end in 2026.

It means that competitor charge point operators will be allowed to install rapid chargers regardless of The Electric Highway's exclusivity contracts.

The decision will 'unlock competition and increase choice of electric vehicle chargepoints on motorways for drivers', said the CMA, and follows an investigation by the CMA into Gridserve in July 2021.

Ann Pope, the CMA’s Senior Director of Antitrust, said: "We need a combination of investment now and healthy competition going forward to make sure charge points are installed at scale where people need them, for a fair price.

"Today’s commitments strike the right balance. Gridserve will continue to invest in the much-needed roll-out of chargepoints across the country but the exclusivity linked to its investment won’t be an undue barrier to others competing in the near future."

The CMA said the agreement will allow the Rapid Charging Fund - a £950m package to future-proof electrical capacity at motorway and major A-roads service areas – to be rolled out 'as planned'. The watchdog added that without Gridserve's commitment, the firm's exclusivity would have made the RCF 'not possible'.

Gridserve currently has exclusivity over rapid chargers at some motorway service areas