US telecom company Charge Enterprises Inc has announced a strategic investment in UK electric vehicle (EV) charging company Connected Kerb.
Charge has obtained a three year exclusive right to first refusal for all of Connected Kerb’s future installations in North America, subject to certain terms and conditions. The investment will help advance the company’s plans to be part of US President Biden’s infrastructure plan to meet the growing demand for nationwide adoption of EV.
Connected Kerb provides on-street residential and long-dwell destination such as workplaces and fleet charging, and as such is “a perfect complement” to Charge’s mission to help make mobility manageable in cities, said Charge Enterprises founder and CEO Andrew Fox.
“Both companies believe that on-street residential and long-dwell destination charging is crucial for accelerating society’s transition away from fossil fuels toward a sustainable electric transportation future,” he continued. “Connected Kerb is a true trailblazer in the transition away from carbon-emitting vehicles and toward cleaner, sustainable mobility for all.”
The investment follows news in May that Connected Kerb is set to install 40 EV chargers as part of a new scheme with Kent County Council, which is designed to act as a blueprint for local authorities around the UK.
Connected Kerb currently has a network of chargers around the UK, and has been to expand this including through a number of recent partnerships. In 2020, it announced it was to rollout infrastructure to support over 130 EV chargepoints at a new 3,000-home development near Swindon. It has also been rolling out its wireless charging, deploying the technology in London, the Midlands and Scotland across H1 of 2020.
The investment comes on the heels of Charge acquiring ANS Advanced Services, a provider of telecommunications and direct current (DC) power installation services. It is working to build the world’s leading EV infrastructure organisation, including targeting further partnerships with EV charging station manufacturers.
