London hits 2020 target of EV charging stations
Transport for London (TfL) says it has now installed nearly 6,000 electric vehicle charging points across the British capital in time for the soon-to-be expanded Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
The transport operator said it had managed to hit its target of installing 300 more fast-charge points in 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic. London now has more than 500 rapid charge points and over 5,500 residential charge points, with some points dedicated exclusively to the 4,000 electric taxis operating in the capital.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan considered this success a “testament to our partners in the private sector who have stepped up and shown real ambition to help London lead the electric vehicle revolution.”
The city’s boroughs are working with various providers and partners in London. Total is among now and has taken on the old Source network. There are also various kerbside charging initiatives led by companies like Siemens or Trojan Energy.
City AM quotes a recent report by the International Council on Clean Transportation that put London at the head of Europe regarding electric vehicle policies.
The city has one of the oldest Congestion Charge zones globally and has expanded the zone/s and charges in recent years. The ULEZ boundaries will include the North and South Circulars – the motorways that encircle the city – in October. This will also be the point when only all-electric vehicles are exempt from the Congestion Charge. At the moment, PHEVs do not pay the now increased £15 a day either.
London is also ahead of other UK cities in establishing such infrastructure, with a quarter of all the charging points in the country located in the capital.
But despite the new installations, estimates show that by 2025 London will require up to 4,000 rapid charging points, as well as 48,000 residential charge points. The numbers go back to a plan, and EV charging taskforce the Mayor presented in June 2019 for a comprehensive expansion of the city’s charging infrastructure.
The mayor and TfL’s further-reaching plans include transforming parts of central London into one of the largest car-free zones in any capital city in the world.
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