char.gy hits 5,000th EV charger milestone as kerbside charging rolls out at pace across the UK
Posted by: electime 28th May 2026
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 around 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, part of a 500-strong rollout that thousands of local drivers are already using, showing just how quickly communities take to kerbside charging when it’s done right.
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, over 1,500 new charge points are set to be installed, bringing reliable on-street charging to the Island for the first time at scale — ensuring that even communities beyond the mainland aren’t left behind in the shift to electric.
Built for the 40% without a driveway
Around 40% of UK homes have no off-street parking, and for many of those households, the absence of a convenient place to charge has been the single biggest barrier to going electric. char.gy’s model addresses this directly — installing charge points at the kerbside using existing street furniture such as lamp columns, minimising disruption while maximising reach.
The entire char.gy network is powered by renewable electricity supplied through its partnership with EDF. The energy is backed by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates, which verify that the electricity supplied to the network is matched with power generated from renewable sources and fed into the UK grid. By combining accessible kerbside charging with renewable electricity provision, char.gy and EDF are helping ensure the transition to electric mobility delivers meaningful carbon reductions from drivers alongside improved access to charging.
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’re proud to be the partner helping them deliver them. On-street charging has moved from the margins to the mainstream — and it’s 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’re proud to be helping power this network with renewable energy, and it’s great to be working alongside char.gy as they continue to scale and make on-street EV charging more accessible for communities across the country.”
