A joint venture between Virgin Media's parent company Liberty Global and Zook Capital will see the rollout of charging stations for electric vehicles across the UK. Liberty Charge will use Virgin Media's cable network as the base for the deployment, drawing on its existing infrastructure, deployment experience and relationships with local authorities. The underground energy will be used to power units in residential areas. Zouk Capital runs the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), a government-backed initiative, and the partners say the company will help meet the UK's national sustainability targets by increasing demand for electric cars.
Liberty Charge electric vehicles
It is claimed that 40% of urban vehicle owners do not have access to a lane that can accommodate a charging point, a major barrier to ownership that could be rectified. "The central aim of the CIIF is to extend public electric vehicle charging networks into free access for the British consumer and this is exactly what Liberty Charge will enable to the thousands of car owners, who do not have access to off-road parking. public," said Massimo Resta, a partner at Zouk Capital. "Liberty Global's infrastructure deployment capabilities and Virgin Media's extensive connectivity network position it perfectly to rapidly deploy residential street charging in cities across the UK, and we are delighted to be associated with this opportunity." "This investment by Zouk reinforces our belief that it is important to leverage Virgin Media's vast infrastructure and connectivity capabilities in new, fast-growing sectors such as eMobility and Energy," added Jason Simpson, global head of energy and utilities at Liberty. Global. Earlier this month, Liberty Global agreed to merge Virgin Media with Telefonica's O2 in the UK, paving the way for the creation of a major UK communications player capable of competing with BT. The addition of the EV charging network would provide Liberty with a new source of revenue.