London receives £4.5m to install 1,500 electric vehicle charge points

The Government has given £4.5 million to London boroughs to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the capital’s streets.

A total of 25 boroughs, each receiving up to £300,000, will install up to 1,500 standard-speed on-street charging points in residential areas.

The new funding will provide residential charge points to assist those without access to off-street parking to make the switch from polluting vehicles to zero-emission vehicles, says the Mayor of London. They will be in addition to the network of rapid charge points TfL is installing by the end of 2020.

The £4.5m allocated to boroughs forms part of an award London received from the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ Go Ultra Low City Scheme, a nationwide competition to give several areas funding to increase electric vehicle use.

The boroughs have sought funding allocations based on perceived demand and electric vehicle take-up. Borough teams will now work to identify sites where charging points could be installed to support local residents to make the switch to greener vehicles.

The funding will also support new approaches such as using lamp posts as the base and power supply for charge points.

The Mayor’s draft Transport Strategy aims for all taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) to be zero-emission capable by 2033, for all buses to be zero emission by 2037, for all new road vehicles driven in London to be zero emission by 2040, and for London’s entire transport system to be zero emission by 2050.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This substantial investment in electric charging points will make a real difference, making electric vehicles an easier and more practical option for Londoners across our city.

“We have a bold ambition to make London’s transport system zero emission by 2050, and working with boroughs to roll out more charging infrastructure is a vital part of making this a reality.”

Further funding will be allocated to interested boroughs in 2018/19 once TfL, London Councils and the GLA are happy with progress being made on the current allocation.

Alex Smith, managing director of Nissan Motor (GB), said: “We’ve been saying for a long time that the future is electric and so we welcome any investment which improves charging infrastructure and encourages people to switch to zero emission vehicles.

“Electric cars will have a fundamental impact on the shift from fossil fuels to renewables and this latest announcement shows that the tipping point for electric vehicles is rapidly approaching.”

This latest boost to pave the way for the introduction of electric vehicles comes just weeks after TfL appointed the suppliers who will provide the rapid charging points that the capital needs to make it easier than ever before to use electric vehicles.

After a competitive bidding process, the Centrica Consortium, BluepointLondon, Chargemaster, Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and Fastned were successful. They will fund, maintain, operate and install the rapid charge network.