Help a neighbour power up with the Co Charger App, devised in Devon

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You could say the Co Charger App is the latest development in community empowerment! As electric vehicles become more common place, there is an increasing need for additional charging points, especially for vehicle owners who need to park on the road. If you have a charging point at your home, the Co Charger App, makes it possible for you to help charge your neighbour’s cars and make some money on the side.

This innovative idea is the brainchild of Devon businessperson Joel Teague who launched the Co Charger App to connect neighbours and communities. This new platform enables anyone who has an electric car charger, whether motorists, business or community building to share them with neighbours who don’t.

How the Co Charger App started

“Six years ago a neighbour in Lympstone convinced me, a card-carrying petrolhead, to get an electric car,” explains Joel. “The car arrived but my charger was delayed and I found myself giving that same neighbour a few quid to use their charger once a week until mine arrived.

“It led to a lightbulb moment where I thought of all the people blocked from getting an electric vehicle because they live in a flat or terraced house and don’t have anywhere to charge. It prompted me to launch the Co Charger App.

This is a ‘matchmaking’ app that connects hosts with a charger with neighbours who want somewhere to charge, helping to create cleaner, greener neighbourhoods and fight climate change. Most importantly, it also means that those who would love to have an electric car are finally able to buy one – confident in the knowledge that they can charge reliably and economically with a local host.”

The app handles communications, bookings, reminders, calculations and payments. Hosts can set the price they’d like to charge for the service and have the option to make extra income.

Joel, who has lived in Devon for 13 years and used to be a project manager for the Met Office says, “Devon – and Exeter in particular was always the perfect place for the Co Charger App to be created. It has one of the highest levels of EV ownership in the UK plus a wonderful community culture and hunger for innovation.”


The Co Charger App was launched during Lockdown and Joel has since become a spokesperson on electric cars and how they are charged. On a recent interview with the BBC he shared that and electric charging point can cost homeowners in the region of £800, however there is a Government grant available for about £300.

Joel and the Co Charge team continue to be based in the South West working and communicating online to develop the business.

The Co Charger App is free to download and there are no subscriptions. Hosts can be private individuals or any organisation with an electric charger, such as a community centre, church hall or doctors’ surgery.

Co Charger is an environmentally and socially responsible company and aiming to become a B corporation certified organisation. It is affiliated with the Co Cars family which also includes Co Bikes and Co Delivery. Together they are accelerating towards a shared, zero-emissions future.

According to Joel, electric cars are better for the planet and cheaper to run than their petrol and diesel counterparts. He quotes 2020 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures that indicate that electric and plug in car registrations grew substantially to more than one in ten registrations. However the majority of these vehicles will have been sold to motorists who have a home charging point. Visit Co Charger for more information.

Co Charger App

Also read: Life after Covid and Flybe for Exeter Airport

Al Gibson

The founder of Countdown Creative, Alistair Gibson is an expert communicator who has learned how to harness principles of traditional journalism with the power of today’s digital media platforms. He has lived in Devon for 15 years and worked in Plymouth and Exeter.

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