What char.gy does

char.gy Limited is a UK private company founded in 2016 that operates the country's largest on-street public electric vehicle charging network by number of locations (2,946 locations and 5,000+ charge points as of 2026, per Uswitch). The company designs, manufactures, and operates three core hardware form factors — lamppost-backpack chargers (up to ~7 kW), bollard chargers (1-phase ~7 kW and 3-phase ~22 kW), and Simple Socket Chelsea socket chargers inherited from ubitricity — all deployed primarily on residential streets to serve the roughly 40% of UK households without off-street parking. The platform is managed through iOS/Android apps, a web portal, and an OCPI-compliant open data API (/open-ocpi/locations and /open-ocpi/tariffs) that ensures interoperability and compliance with the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023.

The business operates a hybrid B2G/B2C model. Revenue is generated primarily through per-kWh consumption fees (£0.59/kWh day, £0.39/kWh night) paid by drivers via app, browser, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, with a £25 pre-authorisation hold per session. On the B2G side, char.gy enters multi-year concession contracts with UK local authorities, investing its own capital (underwritten by Zouk Capital via the UK Government-anchored £420m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, with £100m committed to date) to fund deployment, retain technology and revenue risk, and operate the network on the council's behalf. Char.gy is pre-approved on all major UK public-sector procurement frameworks (CCS VCIS, Oxford DPS, NEPO, ESPO), holds ISO 9001/14001/27001/45001 and B Corp certifications, advertises 99% network uptime, and is recognised as the most affordable UK EV charging tariff provider across 2023–2026. The company is led by CEO John Lewis and operates from London, serving 20+ local authority customers and over one million cumulative charging sessions as of 2026.

Name

char.gy

Legal name

char.gy Limited

Website

https://char.gy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

char.gy is a UK Charge Point Operator (founded 2016) that designs, manufactures, and operates an on-street public EV charging network of 5,000+ lamppost and bollard chargers serving local authorities and the 40% of UK households without off-street parking, funded via long-term council concessions backed by Zouk Capital/CIIF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public On-Street EV Charging Infrastructure

akta.pro primary industry

Charging Network Operators & CPOs Offering Smart Charging/V2G (EUAFAMAD)

Keywords

• On-street EV charging
• Public charge point operator
• Residential kerbside charging
• Local authority EV concessions
• Lamppost EV chargers

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Per-kWh EV charging fees (driver pay-as-you-go): Usage-based revenue from drivers paying per kWh consumed via the char.gy app, web browser, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Two-tier tariff (£0.39/kWh night, £0.59/kWh day); £25 pre-authorisation hold per session. Includes minimum charge of £0.30. Revenue mix is essentially all-consumption-based with no subscription component.
2. Local authority EV infrastructure concession revenue: Char.gy invests its own capital (funded by Zouk Capital/CIIF) to install, own, operate, and maintain the public charging network on behalf of local councils under multi-year concession contracts; char.gy takes the technology and revenue risk and earns back through the per-kWh charging fees collected from drivers on the council's network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

char.gy is a UK Charge Point Operator (CPO) that deploys, owns, operates, and maintains a network of more than 5,000 on-street public EV charge points — primarily UK-manufactured lamppost backpack chargers and bollard chargers — on residential streets across the UK, under long-term concession contracts with 20+ local authorities. The hardware is paired with iOS/Android apps, a web-based charging portal, and an OCPI open data API, and is monetised through a per-kWh time-of-use tariff (with a reduced overnight 'night saver' rate) paid by EV drivers and, via the Allstar fleet card, by corporate fleet users.

Product overview

char.gy operates a unified on-street EV charging platform centred on a UK network of more than 5,000 public charge points, anchored to a core set of hardware form factors — Lamp Post Backpack Chargers, Bollard Chargers (1-phase up to ~7 kW and 3-phase up to ~22 kW), and Simple Socket Chelsea Chargers inherited from Ubitricity — that are managed through the char.gy Mobile App (iOS and Android), a Web-Based Charging Portal, and an OCPI-compliant Open Data API. Layered on top of this hardware/network core are customer-facing modules including the Day/Night Tariff (£0.59/kWh day, £0.39/kWh night), the £25 Pre-Authorisation Payment Hold, the Charge Point Reservation feature (trial), a User Account & Payment Management module, the Driver Charge Point Request Tool, and a Fleet Charging add-on integrating with Allstar (Corpay). For local government partners, char.gy packages the technology with its Local Authority Concession Model and an In-House Demand Forecasting Platform to deliver postcode-level planning, deployment, and operation of the network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On-Street EV Charging Network
• Lamp Post Backpack Charger
• Bollard Charger
• Simple Socket Chelsea Charger
• Local Authority Concession Model
• In-House Demand Forecasting Platform
• char.gy Mobile App (iOS and Android)
• Web-Based Charging Portal
• OCPI Open Data API
• Fleet Charging (Allstar Integration)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core — fleet payment partner, core — installation delivery partner, flagship — largest single levi deployment to date, core — industry policy coalition, core — flagship london borough deployment, core — richmond & wandsworth borough deployment, flagship — first major concession, longest-running customer, core — flagship rapid-rollout case study, core — local authority partner, core — newly announced partner, core — site of char.gy's first charger, core — pilot site for reservation feature, minor — pilot site for reservation feature, minor — scottish local authority partner, minor — local authority partner, core — industry coalition partner, core — public sector procurement enabler, core — charger discovery integration and core — uk government policy partner.

• Allstar (Corpay)core — fleet payment partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 April 2026Char.gy partnered with fleet payment provider Allstar (owned by Corpay) to enable business fleet drivers to pay for charging across char.gy's 5,000 on-street charge points using Allstar cards, expanding access into the corporate fleet segment.
• Joju Chargingcore — installation delivery partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 31 March 2026Joju is char.gy's installation partner delivering the 1,500 charge point rollout across the Isle of Wight under the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project, supported by £1.6m (US$2.1m) of government funding alongside private sector investment.
• Isle of Wight Councilflagship — largest single levi deployment to dateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Contract awarded to char.gy to deploy 1,500 EV charge points across the Isle of Wight under the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project — the largest single LEVI deployment to date. Rollout supported by £1.6m (US$2.1m) government funding alongside private sector investment.
• InstaVolt, Electric Vehicles UK, Octopus Electric Vehiclescore — industry policy coalitionGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 February 2026Char.gy jointly responded with InstaVolt, Electric Vehicles UK, and Octopus Electric Vehicles to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles' call for evidence on chargepoint signage, backing proposals to treat EV charging signage equally with petrol stations in national road sign regulations.
• London Borough of Harrowcore — flagship london borough deploymentStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2026Char.gy is installing 500 new curbside EV chargers across the borough, with 225 already live and 275 scheduled by October 2028. Chargers are mounted on existing lampposts along residential streets, targeting residents without off-street parking.
• Richmond & Wandsworth Councils (ex-ubitricity network transfer)core — richmond & wandsworth borough deploymentStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Almost 1,000 charge points from the ubitricity network in Richmond and Wandsworth were transferred to the char.gy network between July 2024 and January 2026. Char.gy is now responsible for operating and maintaining these Simple Socket Chelsea charge points on behalf of the councils.
• Southwark Councilflagship — first major concession, longest-running customerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term EV infrastructure concession — first installation in September 2018 has grown to nearly 1,600 on-street charge points; council provides planning, sites, and policy support while char.gy funds, installs, operates, and maintains the network.
• Barnet Councilcore — flagship rapid-rollout case studyStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-street EV charging partnership delivering over 500 charge points by August 2025, including 300 lamppost EV chargers installed in six weeks; cited as a case study for sustainable large-scale EV network deployment.
• Brighton & Hove Councilcore — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner with dedicated driver page on char.gy website covering local pricing, nearby chargers, and rollout plans.
• Reading Borough Councilcore — newly announced partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerChar.gy announced a partnership with Reading Borough Council to deliver on-street EV charging.
• Buckinghamshire Councilcore — site of char.gy's first chargerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner; site of char.gy's first public charge point installation in Marlow in 2018.
• Coventry City Councilcore — pilot site for reservation featureStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner and pilot site for char.gy's 15-minute charge point reservation feature.
• Redbridge Councilminor — pilot site for reservation featureStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner and pilot site for char.gy's 15-minute charge point reservation feature.
• East Lothian Councilminor — scottish local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner in Scotland; logo displayed on partners page.
• Devon County Councilcore — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner with dedicated driver page on char.gy website covering rollout plans and charging costs.
• Brent Councilminor — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner (logo displayed on partners page).
• Croydon Councilminor — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner (logo displayed on partners page).
• Merton Councilminor — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner (logo displayed on partners page).
• Tower Hamlets Councilminor — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner (logo displayed on partners page).
• Haringey Councilminor — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner (logo displayed on partners page).
• Leicester City Councilminor — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner (logo displayed on partners page).
• Milton Keynes City Councilminor — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner (logo displayed on partners page).
• Enfield Councilminor — local authority partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner with dedicated driver page on char.gy website.
• Charge UKcore — industry coalition partnerOthersChar.gy is a founding member of Charge UK, the industry body representing UK charge point operators. Charge UK engages with banks and payment providers on pre-authorisation standards and advocates on policy issues including signage and VAT reform.
• CCS VCIS / Oxford DPS / NEPO / ESPO procurement frameworkscore — public sector procurement enablerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChar.gy is pre-approved on multiple UK public-sector procurement frameworks: CCS VCIS (Crown Commercial Service Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Solution), Oxford Electric Vehicle Dynamic Purchasing System, NEPO, and ESPO — streamlining deployment to local authorities via framework agreements.
• Zapmapcore — charger discovery integrationTechnology or IntegrationChar.gy charge point locations are surfaced via Zapmap, the UK's leading EV charging map platform, enabling drivers to discover char.gy chargers alongside competitor networks.
• Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV)core — uk government policy partnerOthersChar.gy works with the UK Government Office for Zero Emission Vehicles on charging infrastructure policy, signage regulation, and LEVI funding deployment. OZEV logo displayed on partners page.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ubitricity (Shell Recharge): ubitricity pioneered lamppost-mounted AC EV charging in the UK and now operates under Shell Recharge with 10,597 devices. It is char.gy's closest direct peer in form factor and customer base; char.gy actually inherited ~1,000 ex-ubitricity charge points in Richmond and Wandsworth during 2024–2026.
• Pod Point (EDF): UK Charge Point Operator serving residential, workplace and public-sector customers with both AC and DC hardware. Competes with char.gy for council concessions and residential drivers, though Pod Point is more diversified across workplace/home charging.
• InstaVolt: UK Charge Point Operator specialising in rapid DC charging; founding member of Charge UK alongside char.gy. Competes for public-sector and roadside concession deals but at higher power outputs, complementing rather than directly displacing char.gy's lamppost AC model.
• Osprey Charging: UK-wide rapid DC charging network competing for local-authority and roadside concession contracts. Overlaps with char.gy in the B2G sales motion and Charge UK membership, though differentiated towards high-power DC hubs.
• GeniePoint (Engie): UK public EV charging network owned by Engie. Competes with char.gy for council deployments and driver market share, particularly in regional and motorway-adjacent sites.
• Gridserve: UK EV charging operator with a mix of AC and DC hubs including the Electric Highway. Competes for council partnerships and corporate fleet contracts; well-capitalised and competing for similar LEVI-funded deployments.

Broad incumbents

• BP Pulse: UK's largest single EV charging network by some metrics and part of BP's global energy infrastructure. Competes with char.gy for fleet, public-sector and roadside concessions and benefits from substantially deeper capital and an international footprint.
• ChargePoint: Global EV charging network and hardware provider with significant UK presence. Competes with char.gy in commercial and public-sector charging, though its global scale and DC focus differentiate it from char.gy's UK-only lamppost AC specialism.
• EVBox: European EV charging hardware and network operator with UK deployments. Adjacent peer — overlaps with char.gy in supplying AC charging to public-sector and commercial customers, but with a broader European footprint and product range.

Emerging players

• Rolec EV: UK manufacturer of AC and DC EV chargers supplying councils, workplaces and homes. Overlaps with char.gy in supplying hardware to local authorities, but as an OEM/wholesaler rather than a network operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/char_gy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/char.gy

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about char.gy