Brighton-based Elektromotive, the company which has developed charging stations for electric vehicles, has signed a memorandum of understanding with VINCI Energies UK to install a UK wide recharging infrastructure.

The new partnership will combine Elektromotive’s technological expertise in the development of recharging facilities, with VINCI Energies’ United Kingdom‘s expertise and capacity to design, implement, operate and finance large infrastructure projects.

There are currently 250 Elektrobay charging stations in the UK and the new partnership is expected to increase to a "significantly larger number", but it's unclear as to how big the network will be.

As it stands, the electric infrastructure in the UK has a long way to go before it reaches the availability of standard filling stations which sit at around 9,600 sites in the UK.

Calvey Taylor-Haw, Elektromotive’s managing director, said: "This is not only an exciting partnership for Elektromotive but is also, at last, a pivotal step in the deployment of a fully-operational and networked recharging infrastructure for electric cars.

"VINCI Energies has the leverage to accelerate the mass roll-out of public-access Elektrobays, plus home and workplace recharging on a mass scale – not just in the UK and Europe but also worldwide."

Peter Rooney, managing director of VINCI Energies United Kingdom, believes the success of electric vehicles rests on the availability of accessible and a reliable sources to charge cars.

He said: "The need for additional support services cannot be underestimated. Services such as help desks, emergency call out and maintenance will also be delivered to ensure that the public can confidently access and use the infrastructure when they need it.

"There will be many challenges ahead, but with the right team now in place we are confident that we can provide a strong, reliable charging infrastructure in the UK."