Liberty Charge, a joint venture created by Liberty Global and Zouk Capital to rollout on-street EV charging points in the UK, has announced the 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 before increasing to 50 sites as future locations are determined.
The charging points will be operated by EV DOT, a publicly accessible EV charging network owned and operated by BMM Networks. The charge points provide access to a charging capacity of up to 22kW and cost EV drivers 30p per kWh to charge.
The announcement follows a report from Policy Exchange in February, which found that the UK needs to install five times as many EV charging points to meet its climate goals.
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 EV charging opportunities for residents.
The joint venture, which was set up last May, leverages Liberty Global’s UK subsidiary, Virgin Media’s network infrastructure, deployment capabilities and relationships with local authorities.
Zouk is the manager of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), a 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.
Councillor Clyde Loakes, deputy leader, Waltham Forest Council, said: “Waltham Forest is 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.”
