London borough of Croydon grows EV charger network
Croydon, London’s southernmost borough, plans to install 60 new electric vehicle charging points before the end of the year, with 20 more expected before February 2022. Many of which are already available, the charge points will appear at 32 different sites across the district.
In partnership with Liberty Charge, these charge points come as part of a broader scheme supported by the central Government through the Innovate UK grant, which will see 600 points installed across London by the end of winter.
When commenting on the new partnership with Liberty, Councillor Mohammad Ali, cabinet lead for sustainable Croydon, said these charge points would put the borough “on track to meet the growing demand in the borough, and help to support residents thinking of making the switch to greener travel alternatives.”
Croydon targets 400 new charging points by the spring of 2022. Specific locations and addresses can be found on the council website.
Neil Isaacson, CEO, Liberty Charge, in turn, took Croydon as an “example of a forward-thinking borough that is getting on the front foot when it comes to aiding the adoption of EVs.” He, however, added, “We’re collectively against the clock on our sustainability targets and need to get cleaner air into cities.”
The Government’s target is to install 120,000 electric vehicle charging points by 2025. However, at the current roll-rate, Liberty Charge doubts this target will be met. Said Isaacson: “Despite local authorities’ desire to electrify residential streets and the Government’s ambition to address this issue, we still have 11 million UK households with no driveway that lack convenient, hassle-free electric charging that is close to home. Put simply, the on-street sector in the UK is facing a charge point crisis.”
Liberty Charge is a joint venture by Liberty Global and Zouk Capital to install 600 EV charging sockets across London by the end of 2021. It is one of the various initiatives looking to increase the number of charge points in London, where EV infrastructure has been on the up, particularly compared to the rest of the UK. The capital’s transit authority, Transport for London (TfL), for example, appears to have come the furthest. TfL in 2020 reportedly met its target to run about 6,000 electric vehicle charging points across London in time for the now expanded Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
0 Comments