Liberty Global is to use its Virgin Media network infrastructure to aid on-street electric vehicle charging, partnering with Swedish power company Vattenfall.

Using Virgin Media’s 40,000 powered street cabinets and 170,000 km of ducts, Liberty Global’s project has also been created in partnership with Innovate UK and Vattenfall to help local authorities find a solution to limited on-street electric vehicle charging points.

Over the next 18 months, Liberty Global aims to deploy and operate 1,200 charging sockets across the country through the project. The rollout of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations will build a fully scalable electric vehicle charging network.

Working under the project name Virgin Media Park & Charge, the full consortium includes delivery partners Vattenfall and SMS, specialist technology partners Cenex, Ginger Town, Fully Charged, Connected Kerb, DETA and Loughborough University. This is in addition to several local authorities including the West Midlands Combined Authority as well as Councils in Oxfordshire, Liverpool, Southend on Sea, Worcestershire, Wandsworth, Croydon, Northamptonshire, Hammersmith & Fulham and Belfast.

Jason Simpson, VP global energy and utilities for Liberty Global, comments, “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.”

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