UK firm launches Zipcharge Go portable EV charger for urban drivers

A UK tech company has launched a portable electric car charger which it claims could be a “game-changer” for motorists without access to a driveway or private charging point.

The ZipCharge Go was revealed during the COP26 climate summit as a new approach to the issue of charger access, especially in cities where private parking is at a premium.

An estimated 8.5 million households - 40% of car-owning families in the UK - don’t have access to off-street parking and this is seen as a major barrier to the uptake of electric vehicles.

The suitcase-sized Zipcharge Go is designed to be charged at home via a standard three-pin plug then either wheeled out to charge the car or transported with the car as an emergency back-up.

Its designers say it will allow owners to charge the unit at domestic energy prices, which are generally cheaper than at public charging points, then top up their car at a time and place convenient for them.

The unit’s lithium-ion battery pack is capable of adding around 20 miles of range to an average EV via a Type 2 connector. Like standard home wallboxes it charges at 7kW, delivering that 20 miles of range in around 30 minutes.