Thurrock Council has awarded Zest a long-term contract to deliver up to 4,046 public electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the borough.
Supported by the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, the partnership unlocks significant private investment from Zest, who will fund around 98% of the project. The programme will deliver a borough-wide charging network designed to make switching to EV convenient for residents across Thurrock, particularly households without access to off-street parking.
The programme will deploy a mix of lamp-post chargers, fast AC and rapid DC charging points, ensuring residents can access reliable charging close to where they live, work and visit. Locations will be prioritised to support on-street households and areas currently underserved by public charging.
Situated within the Thames Gateway growth corridor, Thurrock is a key economic engine for the wider London region and home to major logistics and industrial assets including the Port of Tilbury and London Gateway, one of the UK’s largest deep-sea container ports. Expanding the borough’s EV charging network, part of the council’s ambitious transport strategy, will support both local communities and the wider regional economy as electric vehicle adoption accelerates.
Under the agreement, Zest will provide and operate the network over a 15-year period, creating a long-term, resilient infrastructure platform capable of expanding as demand grows.
Around 35 existing chargepoints installed through the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles’ On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) will also be transferred onto the Zest network, improving reliability and user experience for drivers already using the sites.