Thousands of EV Charge Points To Be Installed Across London
To aid in London’s transition to a net-zero carbon metropolis by the year 2030, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and the London Councils have announced the installation of thousands more electric vehicle charge points in all 32 boroughs and the city of London.
A third of the UK’s total electric charge points are located in London, which has about 13,000 of them now. Since 2019, this number has increased by more than 200 percent. As part of the Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, London’s goal of having 40,000–60,000 charge points by 2030 will be achieved with the support of £35.7 million in capital funding from the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund. Officers tasked with assisting the installation of charging points throughout the boroughs will be funded with an additional £3 million in capability funding.
The new public charge points will be distributed fairly by the mayor, London Councils, Transport for London, and London boroughs, who will also make sure that the charge points are installed to meet the needs of local communities, with a focus on assisting those who do not have access to off-street parking. Also, the funding will be utilized to facilitate cross-borough collaboration on the delivery and procurement of charging points.
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In London, there is now one charging station for every four electric vehicles that are registered there, as opposed to the national average of one charging station for every 12 vehicles. Of all the European cities, London has the most public rapid charge terminals in terms of both volume and share. Almost 300 rapid charge points have been installed by the mayor and TfL since 2016. 100 additional sites will be added after the market is opened to bids in 2023.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says: “Shifting to electric vehicles is just one of the ways we can clean up our air and bring down harmful, toxic emissions. London is leading the way in the delivery of electric vehicle charge points and infrastructure, and this funding will help ensure that we can reach our ambition to have at the very least one electric vehicle charge point on every street where needed.
“This is a bold ambition, and we will only achieve this by working closely with London boroughs and TfL to ensure public charge points are installed where they are most needed, making it easier, more accessible and more convenient for Londoners to switch to electric vehicles. Alongside our work to boost walking, cycling and public transport – such as with the new Superloop – this funding will help to build a better London for everyone – a city that is cleaner, greener, fairer and more prosperous for all.”
London Councils’ Climate Change, Transport and Environment Lead, Mayor Philip Glanville, adds: “London boroughs have installed 9,000 charge points since 2016 but we know further extensive investment in London’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure is crucial to making it as easy as possible for Londoners across the capital to make the switch to cleaner travel options. This ambitious record of delivery for Londoners has only been possible because of the unique partnership between Government, the Mayor of London, TfL, London Councils and the boroughs and shows just what we can achieve if we work together.
“We are determined to invest London’s £35.7 milllion share of Government funding in distributing new charge points fairly so they are accessible to all of London’s communities, helping to build confidence among our residents in making the decision to go electric.”
Alex Williams, TfL’s Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, says: “Londoner’s have been embracing electric vehicles in recent years, with the capital leading the way nationally. Toxic air in London is a public health emergency and reducing emissions and carbon dioxide which contribute to global warming is an imperative for our city.
“There is a comprehensive charging network across London to support the green transition. The capital now has nearly 13,000 public charge points, of which more than 850 are rapid or ultra-rapid. This is almost a third of the UK’s total and over a 200 per cent increase from 2019.
“We know that with the explosion in electric vehicles many more charging sites will be needed, particularly for those without on-street parking. London is keeping up with demand by making public land available for infrastructure, and ensuring the charging points a world city needs are being built at pace and in significant numbers.”
The Mayor’s determination to make London a cleaner, greener city is evident thanks in part to his 2019 Electric Vehicle Strategy and the London EV Infrastructure Delivery Plan, which is putting the city on the right path to a cleaner, greener London and making EV adoption easier by providing an ample EV charging network.
Featured photo by Dominika Gregušová (free to use)
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