“The energy transition is happening. The recent spikes in the price of energy are yet another reminder that we need to rethink the way we produce and consume energy in a more sustainable and secure fashion.

The 2021 COP26 conference, if anything, has proven that it is hard to coordinate many different countries in a consistent effort to decarbonise the economy. We will get there but it will take time.

Governments’ commitment is crucial to achieve the goal of decarbonising the economy, but at the same time it is clear that we can’t delegate all efforts to Governments. We simply don’t have time. Companies, local authorities, individuals, virtually every actor in our societies should question the way we do things and try to come up with alternatives that are less harmful for the environment.

The transport sector contributes more that 20-30% to the carbon emissions in most industrialised countries. As we all know the electrification of transport (in conjunction with the decarbonisation of the power sector and other measures) is the way to achieve the decarbonisation of the transport sector. The OEMs are gearing up to produce affordable EVs but the charging infrastructure is perceived as a bottleneck to mass adoption of this new technology.

This is the area on which we need to focus to make a difference. Local authorities should make space available to install chargers in residential areas where people don’t have access to off street parking. Hotels, shopping centres, virtually every owner of a car park should provide the infrastructure for people to recharge their cars. DNOs should simplify the way people get access to grid, plan grid reinforcements for what is obviously coming and allow EV car batteries to contribute in providing grid services. Charge point operators should focus on installing and running the infrastructure, providing reliable, easy to use and affordable charging services to consumers. And finally consumers should consider the way they “consume” mobility services and try to avoid means of transportation that are carbon intensive. We all need to do our part.

Conferences like the EV infrastructure focus day are designed to bring together the actors of this revolution of the transport sector. They provide a fantastic opportunity to meet people, exchange ideas, discuss solutions and best practices and I look forward to meeting you all there.”

Massimo Resta, Partner, Zouk Capital

Zouk is a London-based private equity firm with a strategy centred on the opportunities emerging in the transition to a sustainable economy.  Everyone at Zouk is individually passionate about sustainability and collectively share a deep-seated commitment in contributing to a greener, cleaner and fairer future for all. 

We believe that core to the transition will be the electrification of transportation.  This sector is currently one of the major contributors to emissions globally and today stands as one of the greatest hurdles to overcome in the journey to net-zero.  OEMs are doing their part in the development and production of electric vehicles (EVs), but it will be the investment into, and deployment of, the infrastructure that enables large-scale adoption.

Zouk has a long and successful track-record in the sector, starting in 2013 with Mobility House, 2016 with the founding of InstaVolt (now the UK’s leading independent rapid charging network), 2018 with EO Charging (soon listing on the NYSE) and 2019 investing in BEPower (now Italy’s 2^nd largest charging network and recently acquired by ENI).

In mid-2019, Zouk was awarded the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF) by the UK Government; with a fund-size of £420m (£220m from the private sector) and a mandate to support investment in the UK’s public EV charging infrastructure.  From this fund, Zouk has made three exciting new investments: Liberty Charge (infrastructure supporting on-street residential charging), char.gy (lamppost connected chargepoints) and Zest (a national network of destination charging).

We are proud of our history in backing and supporting the right people in realising their ambitions and achieving extraordinarily successful outcomes for all involved.  However, there is still much work to do and we at Zouk are looking forward to playing our part in this over the coming years.

https://zouk.com

Massimo Resta, Partner is Chairing the EVCI2022: The Focus Day on 14 June, and The Ambassadors’ Day on 15 June.

Massimo is also speaking on 14 June, Focus Day:

12.30 – 13.15, Robust public charging networks to service consumers and fleets Partner panel

See the timetable of the Focus Day, 14 June

Massimo Resta, Partner will be hosting roundtable discussions with participants on 15 June, Ambassadors’ Day:

15.05-15.50 and 15.50-16.35 How to build the charging infrastructure of the future through public and private sector collaboration 

See the timetable of the Ambassadors’ Day, 15 June

The team from Zouk Capital will be exhibiting on 14 and 15 June.

If you would like to meet with Massimo Resta and his colleagues please register here using our registration form here quoting ZOUK-EV1 to get 50% off: