Access to charge points is a primary barrier to electric vehicle (EV) adoption. A national survey reveals 30% of households rely on public charging because many UK homes lack access to off-street parking, a garage, or a driveway. Instead, motorists must use street charging in dense residential areas. While early adopters utilise home charging, millions require an effective network of public EV charging points.
While 90% of early EV adopters have the preferred option of domestic/home charging, many UK households that park on-street have limited options to charge their car, necessitating a robust on-street network of chargers.
1. How does lamppost charging work?
This form of Public Residential Charging incorporates existing lampposts into the charging infrastructure. Drivers use apps to locate ev infrastructure and manage payments. Apps like char.gy improve charging by adding features to book slots ahead of time.
This helps manage energy use and reduces the environmental impact of EV charging.
2. Benefits of lamppost charging
Cost-effective deployment: Utilising existing streetlight infrastructure keeps hardware and installation costs lower than other public EV charging solutions.
Preserves parking spaces: Repurposing streetlights next to designated parking spaces prevents physical clutter on urban pavements.
Kerbside accessibility: These charging solutions provide convenient options right outside homes in the
local area
Lower carbon footprint: Minimises the environmental impact associated with getting entirely new
charge points installed
Rapid scaling: Can be deployed quickly by local authorities to match localised demand.
Silent operation: Units emit no noise, integrating seamlessly into residential streets overnight.
3. Designing better EV charging points for everyday drivers
To bring home convenience to where EV drivers live, public infrastructure requires purpose-built hardware. char.gy’s ultra-robust, low-power AC charging solution, the Flow range, is intentionally designed to fit beautifully into residential streets. Available in Flow Solo, Flow Duo, and Flow Lumo models, this range offers flexible installation setups including lamp column door, stem, or body mounting, building/wall mounts, and distribution network operator (DNO) connected satellite columns.
The Flow range directly tackles the historical limits of street infrastructure with elite technical specifications:
Optimised Capacities:
Field-configurable 5kW and 7kW variants provide steady overnight charging that minimises grid strain.
Extreme Durability:
Encased in robust aluminium casting with a weatherproof IP55 rating and top-tier IK10 impact robustness rating.
Future-Proof Tech:
Out of the box, the range supports Mode 3 charging and is ISO/IEC 15118 ready for "Plug & Charge" auto-authentication. It features full passive and dynamic load management and is OCPP 1.6J compliant.
Community-First Design:
Features power-efficient, discrete LED indicators with nighttime light pollution protection.
Flexible Payments:
Drivers manage sessions via the char.gy App or utilise contactless payment options.
4. Disadvantages of lamp-post charging
Lamppost chargers are typically seen as an urban solution and not widespread in rural or suburban areas. This is likely to change in the next two years due to the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Scheme, which will catalyse a UK-wide rollout of on-street EV chargers.
Chargers located on public streets may be blocked by non-EV vehicles or face vandalism. Which is why it's important to have multiple chargers in one street or location.
Some lamppost chargers provide lower charging speeds (e.g., 3-7 kW), which are suited for overnight or long-stay charging, not quick top-ups.
Lampposts often share power between lighting and charging, which is why they can only deliver standard speeds, because the energy supply is limited.
4. Disadvantages of lamppost charging
Urban centralisation: Not widespread in rural areas, though the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Scheme will soon catalyse a UK-wide rollout.
Bay blocking: Street chargers can be blocked by non-EVs, making a modular public charge point setup with multiple sockets critical.
Standard speeds: Lower charging speeds (3–7 kW) are suited for overnight long stays, not rapid top-ups.
Shared power: Shared power supplies between lighting and charging cap delivery at standard AC speeds.
Cable management: Because drivers supply charging cables, modern layouts incorporate low-profile cable covers or targeted cable channels to eliminate trip hazards.
3. Lamppost charging locations in the UK
There are approximately 6.5 million lampposts, many of which are situated in key locations with direct access to the power grid.
Finding lamppost EV chargers is much easier these days, thanks to helpful mobile apps. Specifically, apps like Zap-Map and char.gy make it simple to quickly pinpoint their locations.
Growing On-Street Access: The Richmond and Wandsworth Transition
As urban adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) accelerates across London, networks occasionally transition to providers best equipped for localized management. A prime example is Southwest London, where a designated part of the network in Richmond and Wandsworth officially moved to char.gy, having previously been managed by a different CPO.
If you routinely charge on-street in Richmond or Wandsworth, many sockets you rely on are now fully operated by char.gy. Our engineering teams worked alongside local authorities to ensure a smooth handover.
6. Costs and the Future
Lamppost infrastructure remains the most affordable public charging method. char.gy tops price comparison boards on "leccy.net", offering rates from a £0.39/kWh night tariff (12am–7am) to a £0.59/kWh day tariff (7am–12am).
By 2030, the grid may require an extra 3.5–8GW of power. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology used with lamppost chargers helps balance localised energy demand. Combined with smart charging apps that automate schedules, lamppost infrastructure will remain vital to the UK’s sustainable electric travel future.