UK charging partnership Liberty Charge makes debut

The UK-based Liberty Global Ventures and Zouk Capital have announced a joint venture partnership named Liberty Charge. The partnership will roll out on-street charging points for electric vehicles in residential areas across the UK.

A partnerhship with Virgin Media supports Liberty Global’s efforts in the space of charging infrastructure, as the Virgin Media Park and Charge (VPACH) project aims to deploy 1,200 charging sockets across the country by early 2021. Access to public electric vehicle charging is a key initiative within the UK government’s drive to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.

Research shows that around 40% of UK drivers do not have access to a parking space where they could charge on their own power, so making charging spaces publicly available for these persons is vital for a transition to an emissions-free transport system. As Massimo Resta, Partner at Zouk Capital, explains: “CIIF’s central objective is to scale open-access, public EV charging networks for the UK consumer and this is exactly what Liberty Charge will achieve for the thousands of car owners, who do not have access to off street parking. Liberty Global’s infrastructure deployment capabilities and Virgin Media’s extensive connectivity network make it perfectly positioned to rapidly deploy on-street residential charging in UK towns and cities, and we are excited to be partnering with them on this opportunity.”

Update Tuesday 13 April 2020: Liberty Charge has announced the successful completion of its first UK installation in the London borough of Waltham Forest. The project will see the joint venture install 20 charging points across 10 sites in the borough. This figure will increase to 50 sites as future locations are determined.

Waltham Forest is the first installation in the above-mentioned national programme. More areas for deployment will be confirmed during the course of this year as Liberty Charge continues discussions with local authorities throughout the UK to maximise on-street electric vehicle charging opportunities for residents.

businesswire.com, businesswire.com (update)