Devon launches on-street EV charging trial with char.gy

Devon County Council has partnered with on-street charge point operator char.gy to trial 30 new kerbside electric vehicle (EV) chargers, marking an early delivery project under the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund.

The trial, which is expected to begin in early to mid-August, will install 30 on-street charge points across Devon to improve access to residential charging for drivers without off-street parking.

Funding will be released on a per-charge-point basis through the LEVI scheme.

The council said the trial will help assess how on-street charging can be expanded across the county ahead of a wider rollout.

According to Zapmap, the UK had around 87,000 public charge points across more than 45,000 locations by the end of 2025.

The South West has historically lagged behind many urban areas in charger provision due to the challenges of deploying infrastructure across large rural counties.

char.gy, which operates more than 5,000 public on-street charge points across the UK, said all chargers installed as part of the trial will be powered by 100% renewable electricity.

John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said: “This trial is an important step in turning LEVI funding into real, usable infrastructure for communities.