The London Borough of Lewisham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich have awarded electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure concession contracts worth approximately £290.12 million (US$387 million) to Believ Limited and Zest Eco Limited. The contracts aim to expand the availability of public EV charging facilities across south-east London, making it easier for residents, businesses and visitors to charge electric vehicles. The project is particularly important for people who do not have access to private driveways or off-street parking and therefore depend on public charging infrastructure.

The procurement resulted in three contract awards. Believ Limited secured two contracts valued at approximately £106.9 million and £107.9 million, while Zest Eco Limited received a contract worth approximately £75.4 million. Together, the contracts have a total estimated value of £290,119,968, excluding VAT. The concession arrangement allows the appointed operators to install, operate and maintain charging infrastructure over an initial 15-year period, with an option to extend the contracts by a further year.

The charging network is expected to include lamp-column chargers, kerbside charging units and faster charging stations in residential areas, public car parks and commercial locations. Standard fast chargers, generally rated between 7 kW and 22 kW, will serve drivers who need to charge their vehicles while parked, while rapid and ultra-rapid chargers will support taxi operators, delivery fleets and other motorists who require quicker charging. Installation will involve site surveys, electrical grid connections and civil engineering work, with deployment planned in phases to limit disruption to local roads and pedestrians.

The concession model enables the councils to expand charging infrastructure through private-sector investment rather than relying entirely on direct public funding for installation. Under this arrangement, the selected operators are responsible for financing and delivering the infrastructure, maintaining the equipment and managing day-to-day operations. In return, they can generate revenue from charging services during the concession period, subject to the terms of their agreements with the authorities. This approach is intended to support large-scale infrastructure development while providing a long-term framework for operating the network.