First project from Zouk Capital and Liberty Global backed venture sees 20 on street charge points installed across the London borough of Waltham Forest
The UK's increasingly competitive electric vehicle (EV) charging market has welcomed a new addition this week, after Liberty Charge, the joint venture created by Liberty Global and Zouk Capital, announced the successful completion of its first on-street points in the London borough of Waltham Forest.
The project will see the company install 20 charging points across 10 sites in the borough, with a view to delivering chargers at up to 50 sites as future locations are determined.
Waltham Forest is the first installation in a national programme from Liberty Charge and the firm said it was in discussions with local authorities throughout the UK about how to maximise on-street electric vehicle charging opportunities for residents.
The joint venture, which was set up last May, aims to leverage Liberty Global UK subsidiary, Virgin Media's network infrastructure, deployment capabilities, and trusted relationships with local authorities to help accelerate the roll out of the on street charge points that are widely regarded as critical to the mainstream adoption of EVs, especially among households that lack access to off street parking.
The venture is backed by significant investment, given Zouk's position as manager of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), the dedicated fund established by the UK Government in 2019 and backed by HM Treasury to help develop public charging infrastructure points for EVs throughout the UK.
"Recent research has highlighted the need to do much more to meet the rising consumer demand for electric vehicles charging if the UK government's carbon neutral targets are to be met," said Neil Isaacson, CEO at Liberty Charge. "There are many challenges on the road to net zero and at Liberty Charge we're doing everything we can to ensure that charging infrastructure is not a limiting factor. We look forward to partnering with other local authorities to give residents more opportunities to charge their electric vehicles on the street."
The inaugural installations from the company were welcomed by Cllr Clyde Loakes, deputy leader of Waltham Forest Council, who said the borough was "dedicated to enabling people to convert to EVs to reduce vehicle-related emissions and promote more sustainable forms of transport".
"Working with Liberty Charge, which can tap into Virgin Media's infrastructure and capabilities, is a logical decision to maximise expertise, minimise disruption and help build a best-in-class on-street charging network," he said.
The company said the charging points will be operated by EV DOT, a publicly accessible EV charging network owned and operated by BMM Networks. The charge points will provide access to a charging capacity of up to 22 kW and cost EV drivers 30p per kWh to charge.
Liberty Charge is one of a growing band of infrastructure providers working to improve access to on-street charging through a range of different technologies, including standalone charge points and chargers integrated into lampposts.
In related news, The Times reported this week that Shell is stepping up its plans to deliver 5,000 rapid and ultra-rapid electric vehicle chargers on its British forecourts by 2025, alongside its plans to deliver slower on-street chargers following its recent acquisition of European charging network provider Ubitricity, which already operates over 2,700 charge points in the UK.