Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Believ, the Electric Vehicle (EV) charge point operator (CPO), has secured a GBP 300 million investment facility to install at least 30,000 charge points across the UK.
The funding, which makes the company one of the UK’s best-backed CPOs, is led by Believ’s joint owners Liberty Global and Zouk Capital, Europe’s leading private equity investor in EV charging, alongside four retail and infrastructure financing banks – Santander, ABN Amro, NatWest and MUFG.
Guy Bartlett, Believ CEO said “It recognises the scale of investment required and the urgency of the need,” he says. “Confidence in EVs will continue to grow as drivers see more infrastructure going into the ground. At Believ, we are very proud to be at the heart of this journey.”
Believ’s latest financing marks a pivotal step in the further expansion of its public charging network which is needed to persuade drivers to switch to electric vehicles. The Government has a target of 300,000 public charge points by 2030; currently drivers have access to just over 80,000.
Long-term reliability and financial certainty directly affect the successful roll-out of EV charging infrastructure and the £300m investment facility cements Believ’s industry-leading position as a commercially sustainable business. The financing reinforces Believ’s reputation as a dependable and durable long-term partner, giving further confidence to its existing and future local authority and business partners.
We are told that Believ will be partnering with both public and private sector organisations to deliver the right charging solutions in the right locations, demonstrating how private sector investment can be used in partnership with local government and businesses to bolster public transport infrastructure. The investment will help local communities throughout the UK by encouraging EV uptake, which will in turn improve air quality and cut transport carbon emissions.
Jonathan Pearson, Chairman, Believ and CFO, Liberty Growth at Liberty Global, said “The funding announced today demonstrates the potential of partnering with the public sector in the UK to create the critical EV charging infrastructure required for a greener future. With Virgin Media O2 on board as a delivery partner and leveraging Liberty Global’s financing expertise, we look forward to Believ rolling out much-needed EV charge points throughout the UK.”
Zouk Capital is the manager of the UK Government-anchored Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF). With seven successful EV investments to date, Zouk is the leading private equity investor in the European EV charging space.
The UK government has pledged GBP 2.3bn to help industry and drivers make a supported switch to EVs, with a £200m budget to help expand public charging and a dedicated Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund of GBP 381m for local authorities in England. Combined with the billions of pounds being unlocked from private investors, demonstrated by Believ’s latest financing, the UK’s public charging network will continue to see record growth and will help to ensure that EV drivers can charge their vehicles conveniently.
For Believ much of the investment will be dedicated to on-street, residential locations designed to help drivers without off-street parking transition to EVs. Significant funding will also be allocated to rapid and ultra-rapid charging hubs as well as rural, underserved locations, ensuring that the switch away from petrol and diesel cars leaves no one behind.
Recent contract wins for Believ include Suffolk County Council, the first awarded and signed LEVI contract. In the private sector, Believ has a strong pipeline of agreed projects to be announced soon.
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