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Believ answers EV drivers’ prayers with new church deal

Charge point operator Believ has signed a new partnership deal to help churches in England and Wales provide EV charging to their congregations.

The firm, which specialises in supplying publicly accessible charging, has secured a place on a framework agreement that allows it to offer its charging devices and services to 18,000 properties overseen by the churches’ Parish Buying Service.

All churches, schools and village halls with car parks on land owned by the Church of England or the Church in Wales are able to request EV charging infrastructure support through the new tender agreement.

Kevin Ledger, senior business partnerships manager at Believ, said the agreement would benefit those using the church properties directly, and the wider community.

He commented: “These organisations are some of the largest landowners in the UK, and so this framework agreement has the potential to accelerate the rollout of much needed publicly accessible charging infrastructure.

“By installing EV charge points, churchgoers and local residents without off-street parking spaces will now benefit from the possibilities that sustainable motoring can bring them and help us connect rural communities to the EV charging infrastructure.”

David Richards, net zero carbon officer for the CoE and CiW Parish Buying Service, added: “Through establishing this framework, we aim to drive awareness of how installing EV charge points can help churches in their journey towards becoming more sustainable, crucially without any capital expenditure, but also introduce them to a new income stream that can derive from a church’s existing parking spaces and land.

“This new income can then be used to fund further net zero projects. We urge all churches to take advantage of these opportunities to make sustainable changes and tackle the climate crisis.”

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Matt Allan

Matt is Editor of EV Powered. He has worked in journalism for more than 20 years and been an automotive journalist for the last decade, covering every aspect of the industry, from new model reveals and reviews to consumer and driving advice. The former motoring editor of inews.co.uk, The Scotsman and National World, Matt has watched the EV landscape transform beyond recognition over the last 10 years and developed a passion for electric vehicles and what they mean for the future of transport - from the smallest city cars to the biggest battery-powered trucks. When he’s not driving or writing about electric cars, he’s figuring out how to convert his classic VW camper to electric power.