Electric charging point operator pursues northern growth with office launch

Believ, a UK electric charge point operator (CPO), has opened new offices in Leeds to further strengthen its capabilities and connections in the north of England.

The new Leeds base will provide the base for a growing network team, finance professionals, and public sector and business partnership managers.

It will be a hub from which Believ can engage with new local authority and business customers and extend the company’s regional offering.

By further expanding its geographical reach, Believ says it will be able to provide enhanced localised support for local authorities and businesses seeking to deliver upon sustainability targets and provide publicly accessible charging networks to customers and staff at zero cost.

The new offices will also help accelerate the roll-out of the convenient and reliable network of publicly accessible charge points the UK needs.

Believ warns the gap between the north and south in terms of charging infrastructure is proving a barrier to further electric vehicle (EV) uptake and adoption.

It points to recent figures which show London has 131 EV chargers per 100,000 people compared with just 31 per 100,000 in the Northwest and 36 per 100,000 in Yorkshire and Humberside.

Guy Bartlett, chief executive officer at Believ, said: “While businesses and local authorities are investing and increasing the number of charge points available to the public, we must ensure regions and local communities are not left out.

“If we don’t, we risk a north-south divide coming in the way of large-scale EV adoption.

“Opening our Leeds office backs our mission to deliver ‘cleaner air for all’ and do our bit to deliver the national Government’s ambition of installing 300,000 publicly accessible charge points by 2030.

“If EV infrastructure is insufficient, adoption will take a hit, and it is the responsibility of CPOs like us to provide a means to a sustainable end.”