Char.gy and Brighton & Hove City Council have gone live with the first LEVI-funded charge point on Zapmap as part of a new project to roll out thousands of new devices.

The new charge point, installed at 28 Lawrence Road, was delivered less than two months after contract signature and follows initial pilot projects.

Another 10 chargers are being installed at various locations across Brighton & Hove before a larger rollout, scheduled to begin in October. In all, over 6,000 charge points will be installed under the project, which is valued at £130m and expected to mark the start of “a transformative phase” for on-street charging infrastructure in England.

The Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund supports local authorities in rolling out on-street charging, with a focus on residents who lack on-street parking.

Char.gy said the milestone shows how the fund is moving from award to installation at pace.

John Lewis, CEO of char.gy, said: “This project shows what can be achieved when local councils, innovative companies and digital platforms work together. We’re proud to deliver this milestone – and with Zapmap and the Char.gy app, drivers can immediately find and use the new charge point. Our focus is on providing reliable, affordable and convenient EV charging for the residents who need it right now, and we won’t be slowing down. This is a win for sustainability and for the local community.”

Crucially, the charge point is now fully visible on Zapmap.

Melanie ShuZlebotham, co-founder and COO at Zapmap, said: “People without access to off-street parking want as close an experience as possible to at home charging, and these Char.gy installations do just that for drivers in Brighton & Hove. LEVI-funded projects deliver charging infrastructure at scale and we’re looking forward to seeing more going live as part of the overall picture of destination, en-route and near-home charging.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re powering up an EV revolution in the UK and delivering £381m to install over 100,000 charge points across the country, including in Brighton and Hove, so that local people can confidently make the switch to electric.

“More charge points on our streets will make it easier and cheaper to own an electric vehicle, meaning people can charge up cheaply no matter where they live and no matter where they travel.”