Electric vehicles and charging

EB Charging is now known as Blink Charging.

As the number of electric and hybrid vehicles on our roads increases, we're continuing to grow Brighton & Hove’s electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure to help meet the demand.

This includes installing new chargers for residents, visitors, and businesses.

By installing more charging points across the city, we also work towards our goal of making the city carbon-neutral by 2030.

Electric vehicle figures

According to Department for Transport figures there are currently 2,000 electric vehicles registered in Brighton & Hove.

Independent forecasts of Electric Vehicle uptake growth have been made by UK Power Networks and the central government which both indicate that by 2028 this could increase to up to 27,000 electric vehicles registered in Brighton & Hove.

In addition to residential charging the charging infrastructure in the city will also need to cater for increasing numbers of visitors requiring public charging as part of their stay. 

According to an independent analysis by ComparetheMarket, Brighton & Hove is one of the best-prepared areas for electric vehicle uptake in the UK based on the number of chargers per resident. In 2022 the city passed the milestone of having delivered 1 million kWh through the public charging network.

Independent research by Field Dynamics and Zap-Map shows that 77% of residents with no off-street parking, now live within a 5-minute walk of a public charger, one of the best rates in the country. 

Types of chargers we install

We currently have 3 types of chargers that we are able to install within the city:

• Lamppost chargers, which deliver up to 3kWh per hour and can charge an electric vehicle fully in approximately 8-10 hours. The costs are £0.38/kWh.
• Fast Chargers, which deliver 7.5kWh per hour (with the intent that these will upgrade to 22kWh). These can currently charge an electric vehicle fully in approximately 4-5 hours. The costs are £0.44/kWh.
• Rapid Chargers, which deliver up to 50kWh per hour and can charge an electric vehicle fully in 30 minutes to an hour. The costs are £0.44/kWh.

Public Charge Point Infrastructure – installations by year

Where we install chargers

We consider many factors when thinking about what type of charger and where they can be placed.

Lamppost chargers are the easiest to install and create the least disruption. They take their supply directly from the power in the lamp column itself. This means we don’t have to do invasive work like digging up the pavement to access power. It also means very little additional obstruction on the pavement itself.

While there are approximately 3,000 lampposts in the city, only 600 or so are suitable for this sort of charger. We can only install a charger on the more modern, aluminium columns. While our classic and heritage lampposts are wonderful, and give character to the street, they don’t support additional power demands.