Char.gy has, over the past couple of years, developed technology which sees charging points either mounted on lampposts or bollard units that can draw from the electricity supply. The technology means that vehicle owners in urban areas where only on-street parking is available can access charging points for their electric or hybrid vehicles. Char.gy is already working with a number of local authorities across the UK to fit the technology in urban streets, with Coventry being one of the first to see units installed around the city.
Sarginsons will now supply the full unit to Char.gy, including the aluminium castings, internal assembly and electronics. The firm’s recently appointed technology centre manager, Gavin Shipley, will oversee the project with Char.gy as he has worked with the company on the unit’s design and development in a previous role. Further jobs will be created to work on the manufacture and assembly of the products.
Die-cast tooling, machining fixtures and test equipment have also been designed and manufactured as part of the process.
Anthony Evans, managing director of Sarginsons Industries, says the work with Char.gy was part of the firm’s future plans to develop its offer in design for manufacturing excellence: “It is our ambition to grow and find new markets and this is a great example of that – it’s definitely something we will look to build on. We’ve invested significant time and money into our new technology centre and are working in collaboration with universities and research centres to ensure it is at the cutting edge of research and development.
“The core of our business is very much around ‘lightweighting’, and we’ve put sustainability and green technologies at the heart of everything we do, so it’s great to be working with another business who have this at their core,” he adds
Richard Stobart developed the Char.gy products after identifying a gap in the market. He says: “I wanted to drive an electric car but I was living in an urban street, with no garage or off-street parking so I needed to charge it on the street outside my home. I looked at the lamppost and thought there must be away of tapping into its supply and, being from a technology background, I decided to devise one. It’s taken several years to bring it to this point, where we now have units already installed around the country. It’s great to be working with Sarginsons on this project and we look forward to seeing orders grow as more and more authorities see the benefit of this technology.”
