Electric vehicle drivers face price rises of up to 146% as the final 226 of Wandsworth’s on-street chargers transfer this month to a new operator under a contract the council awarded without public scrutiny or committee debate.
When the council announced the contract with char.gy in June 2024, it stated charges would be “39p per kWh” – but failed to mention this was only the overnight rate, with daytime charging costing 59p between 7am and midnight.
The price rises add to mounting costs for EV drivers. Yesterday’s Budget announced a new 3p per mile road charge from April 2028, while the London Congestion Charge rises to £18 on 2 January and electric vehicles will lose their exemption – meaning EV drivers will pay the charge for the first time, though they can claim a 25% discount.
The full pricing structure for EV chargers in Wandsworth was not publicly disclosed until September 2025, more than a year after the first chargers transferred and 15 months after the contract announcement.
The char.gy contract covering 613 chargers has no visible committee papers or public discussion – in stark contrast to a second 2023 contract with rival operator ubitricity for 525 chargers, which received full Transport Committee scrutiny with detailed procurement explanations.
The transfer, which began in July 2024 and completes this month, affects 613 chargers across the borough where residents had paid 24p per kWh at all times since 2019.
What You’ll Pay Now
Pricing Comparison
| Operator | Night Rate | Night Hours | Day Rate | Day Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old pricing (2019-2024) | 24p/kWh | All times | 24p/kWh | All times |
| char.gy (613 chargers) | 39p/kWh | Midnight-7am | 59p/kWh | 7am-midnight |
| ubitricity (525+ chargers) | 47p/kWh | 11pm-6am | 57p/kWh | 6am-11pm |
Extra cost
For residents who charge during daytime hours, the increase from 24p to 59p represents a 146% price rise. Even the overnight rate of 39p marks a 62.5% increase from the previous flat rate.
The July 2024 Phase 1 transfer of 220 chargers experienced what the council described as “teething problems,” with some sites failing to transfer. The council states that subsequent transfers in March 2025 (167 chargers) and the current November phase proceeded “without issues.”
The Richmond/Wandsworth contract was described by char.gy as a “UK first” – the company’s first network migration rather than new installation. Despite operating 4,000 charge points nationally, char.gy had no prior experience with this specific operational challenge when they won the contract.
Adding to the complexity, the council now operates a split network with two rival operators charging different rates and requiring separate smartphone apps. char.gy charges 39p overnight (midnight-7am) but 59p during the day, while ubitricity charges 47p at night (11pm-6am) and 57p during the day.
The 20p differential between char.gy’s night and day rates – a 51% premium for daytime charging – is more than double ubitricity’s 10p gap between night and day rates. char.gy operates approximately 4,000 charge points nationally, compared to ubitricity’s network of over 11,500 backed by Shell.
Residents have no choice of operator and must use whichever company’s chargers happen to be installed nearest their home.
Missing papers
In September 2025 committee papers, the council admitted it “held the pay as you go tariff at 24p/kWh for these contracts much longer than the operator considered reasonable” and that the “tariff increased significantly for users at the point of contract retender.”
The council said the old contracts with Siemens plc “were agreed before significant rise in energy prices” and that operators became “more reluctant to enter into long term low tariff agreements” after the energy crisis.
Despite multiple searches of council records, no Forward Plan entries, Transport Committee papers, or delegated decision notices for the char.gy procurement could be found. In contrast, the ubitricity contract received a detailed committee paper in July 2023 explaining the procurement process, including that three bids were received and the contract was awarded under Standing Order 83(A).
The June 2024 press release announcing the char.gy contract stated the procurement had been conducted “last year” but provided no further details. The announcement came just six weeks after char.gy secured £100 million in funding from Zouk Capital’s Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund – a £420 million vehicle backed approximately 50% by UK government money through the UK Infrastructure Bank.
The council has not explained how the char.gy contract was awarded, why it received no public scrutiny, or what decision-making process was followed.
Putney.news will shortly submit Freedom of Information requests seeking the procurement documentation, pricing timeline, contract award decision, and the rationale for operating two separate networks with different operators.
The final 226 chargers on the legacy GULCS (Go Ultra Low City Scheme) network are scheduled to complete their transfer to char.gy by the end of November, completing an 18-month process that has seen the council’s entire pre-2023 charger network change hands.
The council’s current charging network comprises approximately 1,346 lamp column chargers plus additional fast and rapid charging points, making it one of the largest in outer London.
Cost of a Typical 40 kWh Charge
| Scenario | Cost |
|---|---|
| Old price (24p all times) | £9.60 |
| char.gy overnight (midnight-7am) | £15.60 |
| char.gy daytime (7am-midnight) | £23.60 |
| ubitricity overnight (11pm-6am) | £18.80 |
| ubitricity daytime (6am-11pm) | £22.80 |
