5,000 public charge points now live across the UK, with thousands more confirmed in Brighton & Hove, Reading, the Isle of Wight and beyond
Around 40% of UK homes have no driveway — char.gy's kerbside-first model is designed to make EV ownership a realistic option for all of them
EV charging operator char.gy has installed its 5,000th public charge point, with the landmark charger delivered in Brighton & Hove as the company's kerbside network continues to expand rapidly across the UK.
Behind that number are entire streets, and the residents on them, who now have a practical path to going electric for the first time; a signal that on-street charging is moving from pilot to mainstream.
Brighton & Hove: leading the way outside London
The 5,000th charge point was installed as part of Brighton & Hove City Council's ambitious plan to deploy 6,000 kerbside charge points across the city — one of the largest on-street charging programmes in the UK, and currently the largest outside London. The rollout is transforming access to EV charging for the city's residents, the majority of whom rely on on-street parking.
Momentum building nationwide
Brighton & Hove is part of a broader picture of accelerating deployment across the UK. In Barnet, a close partnership with the council saw 300 charge points installed in just six weeks, 500-charge-point rollout already being used by thousands of local drivers — showing just how quickly communities adopt kerbside charging when it is delivered well.
That momentum is only growing. Reading Borough Council has partnered with char.gy to install around 2,600 charge points across the borough, with at least 90% of households without off-street parking set to be within 100 metres of a public charger. On the Isle of Wight, more than 1,500 new charge points are set to be installed, bringing reliable on-street charging to the island for the first time at scale and ensuring communities beyond the mainland are not left behind in the transition to electric.
Built for the 40% without a driveway
Around 40% of UK homes have no off-street parking, and for many households, the lack of a convenient place to charge has been the single biggest barrier to going electric. char.gy's model addresses this directly by installing charge points at the kerbside using existing street furniture, such as lamp columns — minimising disruption while maximising reach.
The entire network runs on renewable energy, backed by REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin) certification, supplied through char.gy's partnership with EDF.
John Lewis, CEO of char.gy, said:
Reaching 5,000 charge points is a proud moment for char.gy, but what it really represents is thousands of households across the UK who can now seriously consider going electric.
The councils we work with — from Brighton to Barnet, Reading to the Isle of Wight — are making bold commitments to their residents, and we are proud to be the partner helping them deliver on those commitments. On-street charging has moved from the margins to the mainstream — and it is becoming an essential part of how the UK gets to net zero.”
Raghav Singh, Business Supply Director at EDF:
“char.gy’s 5,000th charge point is a strong example of how quickly on-street EV charging is expanding across the UK. As demand for electric vehicles grows, access to convenient, reliable charging powered by renewable energy will be essential in supporting more drivers, particularly those without off-street parking. We are proud to help power this network with renewable energy, and it is great to be working alongside char.gy as it continues to scale and make on-street EV charging more accessible for communities across the country.”