London Mayor commits £4million on more than 1,000 residential area electric charging points
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, together with London Councils and TfL, is investing £4 million across 29 boroughs to install 1,000 new electric vehicle charging points in residential areas.
The move comes off the back of work that has already seen 1,500 charging points installed across the capital to help Londoners without access to off-street parking, using innovative solutions such as retrofitting lamp posts. Delivering electric vehicle charging points in residential areas is one of London Councils’ Pledges to Londoners.
The £4 million allocated to boroughs is part of a £13 million award London received from the Government's Office for Low Emission Vehicles' Go Ultra Low City Scheme, a nationwide programme to increase electric vehicle use and tackle the twin dangers of air pollution and the climate emergency. It supports the Mayor’s overarching goal to ensure 80 per cent of journeys are made by public transport, walking or cycling by 2041.
The focus on home charging will be welcomed by the taxi industry, as according to TaxiPoint earlier this year, over FORTY percent of London’s cabbies will never have capability to charge mandatory electric taxis from home.
As also reported in TaxiPoint, London’s electric vehicle users can access a brand-new charging hub in Stratford, allowing six vehicles at a time to rapid charge as of 28 December.
Earlier this month, Transport for London hit its target of 225 rapid charging points across the capital before the end of the year, far exceeding world cities such as New York and Paris. London’s rapid charge network now totals over 300 points following effective collaboration between the public and private sector, with some points dedicated exclusively for almost 3,000 electric taxis currently on the road.
Next year new requirements are being phased in for private hire vehicles. As of 1 January 2020, all newly licensed private hire vehicles that are less than 18 months old will need to be plug-in hybrid, electric or hydrogen vehicles.
Compared to the rest of the United Kingdom, London is currently leading in electric vehicle infrastructure – a quarter of all charge points in the UK can be found in the capital.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s air quality is a serious public health crisis and we face a climate emergency which threatens our future. We need to help people move away from petrol and diesel cars, so we can clean up our air and tackle climate change. The overwhelming success of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone shows both Londoners and businesses alike are ready to play their part.
“I want to help people switch to public transport, walking and cycling and want all new cars and vans in London to be zero emission by 2030, not 2040 as the Government is proposing. Today’s announcement will help us to continue to work together with London boroughs and the private sector to deliver a major expansion in charging infrastructure and an electric vehicle revolution in the capital.”
Cllr Julian Bell, Chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, said: “Across London, boroughs are leading the charge towards a low emissions future. Thanks to the further £4 million funding we are announcing today, another 1,000 new electric vehicle charging points will be installed in residential areas across the city, a sizable boost to the 1,500 new charging points the London boroughs have already delivered through this scheme.
“Sales of fully electric cars have tripled in Britain in the past couple of months, which means there is growing demand for convenient and accessible charging infrastructure from our residents. London’s proactive response will keep us on track to become the Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle capital of Europe.”
Image credit: LEVC
