Believ, the UK’s fastest growing charge point operator (CPO), has opened new offices in Leeds to further strengthen its capabilities and connections in the north of England and consolidate growth made in its mission to deliver ‘cleaner air for all.’
The new office 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 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 that the UK so desperately needs. This is particularly pertinent given that the gap between the north and south in terms of charging infrastructure is proving a barrier to further EV uptake and adoption.
Recent figures from Zapmap show the gap remains wide. Indeed, 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, two areas in the UK with the least number of public access EV chargers. To address this Believ will take action to improve regional infrastructure and accelerate the switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles in the area.
Guy Bartlett, Chief Executive Officer at Believ, says the priority of CPOs must be tackling regional disparities and making EV charging accessible across the nation: “While businesses and local authorities are investing and increasing the number of charge points available to the public, we must ensure that 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.”
