Energy consultancy NFU Energy has announced a collaboration with electric vehicle (EV) charging network Zest to speed up the deployment of rural EV charging infrastructure.
NFU Energy will incorporate Zest’s EV charging services into its range of business energy services, allowing its customers to gain access to Zest’s EV charging infrastructure.
The partnership will enable landowners and farmers to transform underused brownfield sites into sustainable revenue sources. EV charging hubs, destination EV charging, and solar canopies will be offered to customers as part of the deal.
Zest is supported by the government-sponsored £420m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF) and has a mandate to accelerate the provision of public access charge points throughout the UK. The funding has allowed Zest to complete projects with Metrocentre, Hackney Council, and Transport for London.
“With all our partnerships, we look for specialists with longevity; that meet high customer service standards from the initial design phase to the ongoing operation. We believe Zest will provide just that when they invest in our customers,” siad Lisa Howkins, NFU Energy’s sales & marketing director.
Robin Heap, chief executive of Zest, added: “Our mission is to provide abundant and convenient EV charging right across the UK. The decision to work with NFU Energy was an easy one, given their unrivalled understanding of the needs of farmers and rural landowners.”
In 2022, Zest signed deals with Hackney Council and Ryedale District Council in Yorkshire to provide more EV charging points, and with Sheffield-based A & S Leisure Group in 2023.
According to ZapMap data from April 2023, the majority of EV charging points are concentrated in London and the South East, meaning that it is harder to find charge points in rural areas like Yorkshire, Wales and the North East of the UK.