John Lewis, CEO of char.gy
There are dozens of CPOs across the country, why should drivers filter for char.gy when they open Zapmap?
EV drivers deserve the best, and char.gy delivers exactly that. We’re proud to have been recognised as the ‘Best on-street EV charging network’ at the 2024 Transport and Energy Awards. This achievement, alongside our recent B Corp certification, highlights our long-term commitment to driving the future of sustainable mobility by providing accessible, reliable charging infrastructure for everyone, everywhere - particularly the 40% of UK households who rely on public charging because they don’t have a driveway.
On top of that, our industry-leading 39p/kWh Night Tariff ensures competitive, cost-effective charging, making filtering for char.gy on Zapmap a smart financial decision, too.
What's been the biggest surprise for char.gy so far this year, and how have you responded to that?
2024 has been full of surprises - both exciting and challenging. A particularly surprising proud moment was when we installed the 60,000th public charge point, marking a key milestone for the UK. To celebrate, we sent one of our consultants to visit the site, and we used the charge point’s utilisation data to analyse charging behaviour along the residential street. This resulted in a valuable case study, and it’s been fascinating to see these patterns emerge.
On the more challenging side, delays to the LEVI (Local EV Infrastructure) funding allocation have been a hurdle across the industry. This funding is designed to support a UK-wide rollout of public charging infrastructure and many CPOs, including us, were primed to deliver earlier this year. In response, we focused on enhancing our offering and strengthening our relationships with local authorities.
Additionally, we’ve worked on building internal strength - our team at char.gy has grown substantially this year to support our mission. It’s been an exciting time of growth and preparation for what’s ahead.
What is your most unique location in your network and why?
Our most unique location is that of our very first charging point in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. This charger is located right next to the suspension bridge across the Thames in the lovely market town of Marlow. This charger was installed 6 years ago in 2018, and is still operational today.
char.gy on-street charging in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
What role do you think the government should play in helping to expand charging networks?
The government has played a crucial role in expanding the UK’s EV charging networks, stimulating market growth through funding initiatives such as the LEVI fund and the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF). It also supports consumers through regulatory measures, such as the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, which ensures that automakers are incentivised to produce competitive electric vehicles, enabling more people to make the switch.
However, there are opportunities for the government to further stimulate market demand. These could include consumer engagement campaigns to educate the public about the benefits of EVs and availability of charging infrastructure, as well as introducing tax incentives, such as reducing or eliminating VAT on electricity used for EV charging.
What measures are you working on to ensure your network is accessible to all electric car drivers?
Accessibility is at the very heart of what we strive to do: EVs for EVeryone, EVerywhere.
By leveraging insights from our proprietary, in-house technology platform, we can confidently forecast future EV demand down to postcode level. This capability allows us to make well-informed private funding commitments to expand our network’s reach, increasing both the number and geographic spread of charge points across each region. As a result, we’re able to bring charging access to areas where demand isn’t yet fully established, to stimulate EV uptake and ensuring equitable accessibility for all drivers.
Another key aspect of accessibility we focus on is ensuring that everyone can use our charge points. Our infrastructure meets the British Standard Institution’s PAS for accessibility, ensuring that key considerations for disabled drivers are fully addressed.
Accessibility is at the very heart of what char.gy strive to do: EVs for Everyone, Everywhere.
What measures are you working on to ensure your network hits the target of 99% uptime, as the government has mandated?
Network availability reflects a combination of a stable mobile data network, hardware reliability, and proactive, efficient maintenance. char.gy charge points are designed to be incredibly robust, and we implement stringent standards to ensure reliability when it comes to charge points going offline.
We electronically ping every charge point on our network, every 4 minutes, and mark them as offline if they fail to respond within 20 minutes. This system allows us to quickly identify issues and dispatch our localised field services team to resolve them promptly.
By combining real-time monitoring with a dedicated support team, we minimise downtime and ensure our network is as reliable as possible for drivers.
What would be your question for the next CPO we speak to?
What do you think CPO’s should prioritise to encourage drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles in 2025?
