Zapgo celebrates 1 year as a charge point operator
October 9, 2026
One year ago today, Zapgo opened its first rapid EV charging site at Tesco Express in Lochmaben. Twelve months later, we’re celebrating a year brimming with new sites, new partnerships and rapid growth across all corners of the UK – and we want to say thank you to the drivers who have been part of the journey.
In October 2025, the first drivers pulled into our new charging site at Tesco Express in Lochmaben, Scotland.
It was Zapgo’s first live site as a charge point operator, bringing 200kW ultra-rapid charging to a community where drivers had previously been unable to make the switch to EVs because of the lack of public charging infrastructure.
This first site at Lochmaben also represented something much more than the installation of our first charger. It also provided proof of our approach which continues to drive the Zapgo network forward today: rapid and reliable charging, installed at popular local destinations and in communities where better charging infrastructure can make a genuine difference.
A year later, that first site remains an important part of the local community, and we were delighted to welcome the local MP, David Mundell, to see how well the site is performing, earlier this summer. At the same time, the Zapgo network has continued to grow considerably around the rest of the UK.
A rapidly-growing network
Over the past 12 months, you’ll have seen Zapgo chargers appearing at an increasingly diverse range of destinations across the country.
We’ve installed ultra-rapid charging at The Stanley Club in Burscough, building new EV infrastructure alongside providing £10,000 of funding to support improvements to an important community venue.
At Fussels Fine Foods in Somerset, drivers are now charging their cars with Zapgo chargers while they explore the farm shop, at Callerton Rise Retail Park near Newcastle, drivers are shopping at the Co-op or grabbing a snack from Greggs while they charge.
Elsewhere in Scotland, drivers are taking a break and sipping a coffee at our Starbucks Crieff site, before continuing on their way into the highlands and at Klondyke Garden Centre in Livingston drivers are charging up while they buy plants or stop for lunch.
Just last month, we also opened our largest site yet at Sowerby Wood Business Park in Barrow-in-Furness. The charging hub is already becoming a key destination for drivers visiting the Lake District National Park or going to work in the port town.
No two Zapgo sites look exactly the same, and as we look back on the past year since we launched our first site, we’re proud to be supporting a range of local destinations up and down the country.
Beyond the chargers
Alongside installing chargers at a host of new sites across the country, we’ve also been working hard to give drivers the best experience possible at each of our sites. Our partnerships with Paua, Electroverse, Zapmap and Allstar have made every single one of our chargers accessible to more fleet and individual drivers than ever before. Drivers can also use the Zapgo app as yet another tool to find sites, check charger availability, and manage their charging sessions.
Alongside this work behind the scenes, we’ve been leading the charge in fighting for our sector, becoming the only Charge Point Operator member of EVUK at the Super Partner level and taking our sector’s views right to the top of government.
Listening to our drivers
Every single member of our team here at Zapgo is immensely proud of the progress we’ve made over the past year since our first site went live. And this is only the beginning of our journey. But even as we launch more sites, our focus remains on providing the best-in-class experience for the drivers who use our chargers.
This is why we’ve asked John Wilson, one of the first customers to ever use a Zapgo charger at our Lochmaben site, to share his thoughts to close off this first year with the voice of a valued Zapgo driver:
“A year ago, it was great to be one of Zapgo’s first customers at their first site at Lochmaben. Since then, the site has been a very useful asset to the town and Zapgo have provided such personalised service.
“I am delighted to hear Zapgo now has a rapidly expanding network of sites across the country, and look forward to continuing to be one of their valued customers.” – John Wilson
Thank you John. And thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey so far.
Free charging to celebrate
To mark our first anniversary, and to say thank you to everyone who has charged with Zapgo over the past year, your charging is on us today.
For one day only, today, on Friday 9 October 2026, drivers can charge for free across all Zapgo sites with chargers rated at 100kW or above between 09:00 and 17:30.
All you need to do to take part is go to a participating Zapgo site and start your session through the Zapgo app.
The anniversary offer is limited to a maximum of 25kWh of free charging per session.
Neil Mahapatra, CEO of Zapgo, said:
“Opening our first site in Lochmaben was a hugely significant moment for Zapgo, so it is incredibly exciting to look back a year later and see how far we have come.
“Since then, we’ve brought rapid and ultra-rapid charging to a fantastic range of destinations across the country, from farm shops and community clubs to retail parks, coffee shops and our largest charging hub to date in Barrow-in-Furness.
“I’m immensely proud of the effort put in by our brilliant team each day which has made this growth in our network possible. Our simple vision to put rapid and reliable chargers in places where drivers already spend their time is helping us to support the businesses and communities that host us, all while making charging as easy and convenient as possible for the drivers themselves.
“Our first year would not have been possible without the important contributions of the drivers who use our chargers, our partners who host them, and our teams who install and maintain them. We’ve achieved a huge amount in our first 12 months as a charge point operator. But this is only the beginning. We’re looking forward to continuing to keep you updated as we expand our network and find new ways to make driving and charging an EV even easier for drivers.”
