London Borough of Merton deploys over 500 on-street chargers

On street charging network char.gy has installed the first half of 530 new on-street charge points for the London Borough of Merton, with the remainder due to hit streets across the borough during the next four to six weeks.

The deployment triples the number of public charge points in Merton from 259 at the start of January 2023 to 789 – vastly improving charge point access for all residents. This will ensure Merton has more public chargers for residents than any other outer London borough.

Featuring six accessible lamppost chargers, the new installation caters for disabled motorists. The accessible chargers will be installed within close proximity to disabled parking bays and at an appropriate height for wheelchair users.

char.gy’s planned network will place public charge points within a two minutes walk of 78,000 homes. The exact locations have been selected based on factors including the number of local motorists switching to EVs, char.gy’s network planning expertise, geographical spread, and consultation with residents. ​

char.gy’s competitive night-time charge rate of 29p/KWh from midnight to 7am makes EV ownership affordable as well as convenient. And as national energy demand is typically around 30% lower overnight, char.gy's night-time charging solution puts less strain on the national grid.

char.gy will cover all maintenance costs and provide the local authority with a revenue stream from charging services. The capital costs of the installation are funded through a combination of private investment from char.gy and Government grant funding through the On-street Residential Charging Scheme.

Councillor Stephen Alambritis, Merton Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “At Merton Council, we are committed to making it easy and accessible for people across the borough to access EV charging near their homes and where they work. This installation is a significant step towards providing the on-street access to EV charging points needed in Merton. We are especially pleased that by using the lamppost chargers, we have been able to make EV charging more accessible for residents with a disability.

“Our ambition is to make Merton one of the best places in London to rent, own, or share an electric vehicle – this is crucial to our efforts to reduce emissions in the borough and clean up the air we all breathe.”

Richard Stobart, founder of char.gy said: “As a Merton resident myself, I'm delighted that char.gy has been included in Merton’s plan to provide residents in the borough with a three-fold substantial increase in on-street charging infrastructure. We believe our no-cost, quick installation and shared revenues for councils, together with our reliable, renewables-based charging service for motorists, makes us the ideal partner for local authorities looking to make a paradigm shift in neighbourhood electrification.

“This project shows how councils across the country can scale up their public charging quickly and get the best possible coverage with the extra funds the Government has recently committed to supporting public charging in residential areas.”

^{Image showchar.gy’s Founder, Richard Stobart with Merton Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Stephen Alambritis.}