Its UK subsidiary, Virgin Media, will help address the shortage of on-street electric car charging points to encourage more people to use electric vehicles.
Over the next 18 months, Liberty Global aims to deploy and operate 1,200 charging sockets across the UK, using its 40,000 powered street cabinets and 170,000 km of ducts.
The company says the initiative, in partnership with Innovate UK, will build a fully scalable electric vehicle charging network, helping the UK government move closer to its goal of reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
Consortium
Liberty Global is taking part in the project as part of a 19-strong consortium working under the project name Virgin Media Park & Charge. The consortium includes delivery partners Vattenfall and SMS plc and technology partners Cenex, Ginger Town, Fully Charged, Connected Kerb, DETA and Loughborough University.
Several local authorities are involved, including the West Midlands Combined Authority as well as Councils in Oxfordshire, Liverpool, Southend on Sea, Worcestershire, Wandsworth, Croydon, Northamptonshire, Hammersmith & Fulham and Belfast.
Street cabinets
Jason Simpson, Vice President Global Energy and Utilities for Liberty Global, said, “Leveraging street cabinets allows Liberty Global to look beyond traditional uses of telecom infrastructure and make a positive impact on the environment and in communities throughout the UK.
“By bringing more electric vehicle chargers and associated connectivity to Britain’s streets, we are making a significant contribution to Innovate UK’s ambition to encourage more people to buy electric cars. We’re excited to be working with a wide array of partners who each bring their own areas of expertise to this exciting and innovative project.”