Bristol City Council opens applications for cross-pavement gully EV charging trial
By Eve
Bristol City Council has launched a trial seeking applications for cross-pavement gully EV charging installations. The scheme aims to test a solution for residents without off-street parking who currently face barriers to home charging. The trial forms part of the council's efforts to expand on-street charging infrastructure across the city.
Why it matters
Gully-integrated chargers offer a lower-cost, less intrusive alternative to traditional bollard units for dense urban streets, potentially accelerating rollout timelines and reducing civil works for CPOs targeting residential areas without driveways.
Source
- Source
- news.bristol.gov.uk
- Original title
- “Applications open for cross-pavement gully EV charging trial”
- Published
- 16 March 2026 (date approximate)
- Updated
- 16 July 2026
In this story
- Topic
- EV Charging
- Place
- United Kingdom
Related news
Shell Card adds Source ultra-rapid hubs to UK roaming network
Shell Fleet Solutions has integrated Source's UK ultra-rapid charging hubs into the Shell Card roaming network, giving fleet customers access to sites featuring at least 150kW chargers. Source operates more than half a dozen roaming partnerships and plans to open 300 ultra-rapid hubs across the UK and Ireland by 2030, all targeting 99% uptime and powered by renewable energy. Shell Card already provides access to over 72,000 public charge points across the UK.
Why it matters
The deal expands procurement options for fleet operators using Shell Card while reinforcing the commercial case for Source's hub rollout through guaranteed fleet demand. For CPOs, the partnership highlights how roaming agreements with major fuel card networks can accelerate utilisation at new ultra-rapid sites.
Source · Shell Card · Source
Brighton and Hove switches 500 on-street chargepoints to Believ and Char.gy, cuts tariffs
Brighton and Hove City Council is transferring 500 existing on-street chargepoints from Blink Charging UK to Believ and Char.gy from 15 October, bringing lower rates for overnight standard charging and all fast and rapid sessions. The council has installed 500 new chargepoints since March, plans a further 600 in the next six months, and will begin deploying 50 new rapid chargers in October. A separate trial will test pavement gullies for 200 households to run home charging cables.
Why it matters
The operator handover shows councils actively re-tendering to improve pricing and service for residents, while the 1,100 unit pipeline and 50 rapid rollout signal sustained capital deployment. Procurement teams and CPOs should note the shift toward dual-operator models and the emerging interest in kerb-side cable infrastructure as councils seek to close the home-charging gap.
Public EV charging now 16p per mile versus 19p for petrol as savings gap widens to 12 per cent
ChargeUK analysis shows public EV charging costs 16 pence per mile compared to 19 pence for petrol, creating a 12 per cent gap and annual savings of £152 for drivers covering 7,100 miles. Petrol and diesel prices swung 33 per cent and 42 per cent respectively in 2026, while public and home EV charging remained stable. The findings emerge as government reviews the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, with ChargeUK warning that extreme reductions in EV sales quotas could result in over three million fewer EVs by 2030.
Why it matters
The stable pricing of public charging infrastructure against volatile fuel costs strengthens the commercial case for charge point operators and may influence procurement decisions as fleet operators seek predictable energy budgets. Government policy changes to the ZEV mandate could directly affect the scale of charging infrastructure investment required over the next five years.