Liberty Global and Zouk to provide on-street EV charge points

Virgin Media owner Liberty Global Ventures and Zouk Capital have announced a joint venture, Liberty Charge, which will roll out on-street residential electric vehicle charging points in the UK.

The venture will use Virgin Media’s connectivity network, infrastructure deployment capabilities and relationships with local authorities. It will focus on providing the under-the-pavement power and communications infrastructure necessary for electric vehicle charging in residential areas.

The venture will provide charge point operators and local authorities with so-called ‘plug and play’ on-street charging facilities in large cities and towns where many residents don’t have access to off-street parking.

The partnership supports Liberty Global’s efforts in this space following on from its Virgin Media Park and Charge (VPACH) project, which aims to deploy 1,200 charging sockets in towns and cities across the country by early 2021. Access to public electric vehicle charging is a key initiative within the UK government’s drive to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. Providing on-street residential charging is a core component of Zouk’s Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund strategy.

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

Jason Simpson, Vice President Global Energy and Utilities for Liberty Global, comments: “This investment from Zouk re-enforces 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. Zouk Capital is the perfect partner in this venture thanks to their sector expertise and focus on sustainability. We look forward to working with them to help drive electric vehicle adoption in the UK.”

Massimo Resta, Partner at Zouk Capital, adds: “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.  Liberty Global’s infrastructure deployment capabilities and Virgin Media’s extensive connectivity network make it perfectly positioned to rapidly deploy on-street residential charging in UK towns and cities, and we are excited to be partnering with them on this opportunity.”

Zouk is the manager of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), the fund established by the UK Government in 2019 and backed by HM Treasury to help develop public charging infrastructure points for electric vehicles throughout the UK.