Exclusive: Liberty Charge kickstarts rollout of 800 EV chargepoints across London
Telecoms giant Liberty Global has today kicked off plans to install 800 electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints across London over the next 12 months.
The first 20 chargepoints, which were installed by Liberty Charge, a joint venture with Zouk Capital, went online this morning in the borough of Waltham Forest.
It is the initial step in a campaign that will see the company work with local authorities around the country to rollout residential charging facilities to support the increased uptake in EVs.
A spokesperson for the firm told City PM that the JV had a pipeline of 800 installations in London boroughs in the next year alone.
The programme begins amid growing concerns that the UK is currently lacking sufficient charging infrastructure to support the transition away from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
According to motor trade body the SMMT, the UK will need 2.3m chargepoints by the end of the decade if the switch to EVs is to be successful.
At the moment, here are just 7,000 chargepoints in London serving a population of 9.5m – or one for every 1,300 people.
Neil Isaacson, Liberty Charge’s chief exec said: “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.
“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.”
Isaacson said the firm would confirm new rollout locations as the year progresses.
With the sale of new petrol and diesel cars set to be banned in the UK from 2030, more and more firms are beginning to move into the EV infrastructure space.
Overnight Shell said that it would install 5,000 chargers in Britain by 2025, taking advantage of its network of petrol stations across the UK.
The Times reported that the firm is aiming to operate half a million electric vehicle charging points globally by 2025 and as many as 2.5m by 2030.