Liberty Charge creates EV boost

Under-the-pavement power comes to the fore
By Adam Hill May 22, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Liberty Charge is to boost EV charging infrastructure in the UK (© Adam Hill)

A newly-formed joint venture is to roll out on-street residential electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the UK.

Liberty Charge, formed by Liberty Global Ventures and Zouk Capital, will use Virgin Media’s connectivity network to provide what it calls ‘under-the-pavement’ power to develop EV infrastructure.

Zouk is the manager of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), which the UK government formed to help develop public charging infrastructure points for EVs as part of its commitment to reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.

At present, it is estimated that more than 40% of urban vehicle owners do not have access to a driveway they could use to charge an EV. 

Liberty Global is also behind the Virgin Media Park and Charge project, which aims to deploy 1,200 charging sockets in towns and cities across the country by early 2021.

Neil Isaacson, who has been leading Liberty Charge’s market development activities, has been appointed CEO of the venture.

“This investment from Zouk reinforces our belief that there is significant value in leveraging Virgin Media’s wide-ranging infrastructure and connectivity capabilities into new and fast-growing sectors such as eMobility and energy," says Jason Simpson, Liberty Global's vice president, global energy and utilities. 

Massimo Resta, partner at Zouk, said: “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."
 

Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • Asia Pacific expected to lead EV charging station market by 2022
    April 1, 2016
    According to Markets and Markets’ latest market research report, the electric vehicle (EV) charging station market is estimated to reach US$12.61 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 29.8 per cent between 2016 and 2022. Factors which are driving the electric vehicle charging stations market include government subsidies and incentives, increasing use of EVs, and the growing need to reduce carbon emissions. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) categorises battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as zero-emissi
    Read More
  • Arup: we need to speed up EV collaboration
    September 26, 2019
    From Los Angeles to New Delhi, cities may have to expand their current charging infrastructure for electric vehicles by 500% in the next few years. Arup’s Dominic Taylor asks how cities, infrastructure owners and transport authorities can make joined-up decisions ive years from now, low emission vehicles – predominantly electric vehicles (EVs) - will be transforming the streets of our cities – as long as these vehicles have somewhere to charge. Drivers of EVs without driveways, and unable to charge at hom
    Read More
  • Most EV charging ‘takes place at home’
    July 30, 2015
    New analysis by plug-in vehicle campaign Go Ultra Low suggests that British motorists could no longer have to rely on the conventional petrol station. More than 90 per cent of electric vehicle (EV) charging takes place at home while total charging volumes have almost tripled since 2014, according to new usage data from leading infrastructure provider Chargemaster. Coupled with bumper uptake of plug-in vehicles – more than 14,500 were registered in the first half of 2015 – the new findings point to the po
    Read More
  • UK government funding package benefits plug-in vehicle drivers
    February 21, 2013
    UK drivers with plug-in vehicles are set to benefit from a US$57.3 million funding package for home and on-street charging and for new charge points for people parking plug-in vehicles at railway stations. The coalition government will provide 75 per cent of the cost of installing new charge points. This can be claimed by: people installing charge points where they live; local authorities installing rapid charge points to facilitate longer journeys, or providing on-street charging on request from residents
    Read More

Highlighted Content