Skip to main content

Liberty addresses on-street charging deficit

Liberty says there are only 1,000 charge points in UK outside of the capital, London
By Ben Spencer October 21, 2021 Read time: 2 mins
Liberty is to roll out an initial 500 EV charging sockets by the end of 2021 (image credit: Liberty Charge)

Liberty Charge has launched a charge point operator solution to tackle what it calls the chronic under-supply of easily accessible on-street charging in the UK. 

Liberty says 40% of the UK’s urban residents having no access to off-street charging on a private driveway.
The charging facilities will help UK councils “meet a very clear public need” and support their local sustainability and clean air targets, the company adds. 

As part of the commitment, Liberty is working with its delivery partner Virgin Media O2 to roll out an initial 500 electric vehicle (EV) charging sockets across the London boroughs of Croydon, Hammersmith & Fulham and Wandsworth by the end of 2021. 

The deployment will also extend to West and North Northamptonshire Councils, to help address a deficit of on-street charging outside the capital. 

According to Liberty, there are currently approximately 5,700 on-street charge points across the UK, with only 1,000 outside London. 

The company will focus on accelerating this deployment in a bid to help meet one of the Government’s net zero goals of installing more than 120,000 EV charge points by 2025.

According to Liberty, this will also help accelerate the UK’s transition from fossil fuel powered vehicles to electric vehicles, as the Government works to phase out the sale of combustion powered cars by 2030.

Liberty CEO Neil Isaacson says the Government's target is a challenge with the current roll out rate. 

“Local authority budgets are already under pressure and they often lack the capital expenditure to undertake such an investment,” he continues. 

“By providing a fully-funded, reliable and convenient on-street solution, we can help local authorities make this national target a reality.”

Isaacson claims there are currently 11 million UK households with no driveway and no way of charging their vehicle off-street.

“With our strategy, and the support of our delivery partner, we can plug a huge gap in the market,” he concludes.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Masks and AI: the new mobility reality
    June 26, 2020
    French authorities are using artificial intelligence to track face covering compliance
  • TfL upgrades London’s speed and red light safety cameras
    September 18, 2014
    Transport for London (TfL) has begun work on a programme to overhaul the capital’s road safety camera network; replacing hundreds of old wet film cameras with modern and more efficient digital safety cameras in order to help further reduce casualties on London’s roads. According to TfL, safety cameras have proved successful in reducing road casualties in recent years. At locations where safety cameras operate in the capital, research shows that the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) fell
  • A more equitable approach to road charging: is the technology there yet?
    September 8, 2023
    Thinking around road user charging, distance-based payments, and even mileage rationing is ever-widening with new concepts and suggestions being aired and brought forward every other week. Yet, as Jorgen Petersen of Systra explains, there are already many solutions in place throughout the world which promote modal shift, reduce traffic and improve air quality…
  • Maryland targets 2030 e-bus transition
    January 7, 2022
    Maryland DoT MTA to change 50% of diesel/hybrid buses to zero-emission in next eight years