Mayor of London boost for electric charging points to meet net zero goals

Above: existing electric charging point at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and London Councils have announced that thousands more electric vehicle charging points will be delivered across all 32 boroughs and the City of London, to help the capital become a net-zero carbon city by 2030. In a joint statement, it is claimed that London is already leading the way, with nearly 13,000 electric charge points – around one third of the UK’s total – an increase of over a 200 per cent since 2019. In a huge boost for London’s work to become a cleaner and greener city, £35.7m of capital funding from the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund the statement says will help ensure the capital meets its target of 40,000-60,000 charge points by 2030, as set out in the Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy. An additional £3m of Capability funding will fund officers dedicated to supporting delivery of charge points across the boroughs. The Mayor, London Councils, Transport for London and London boroughs wants to deliver the new public charge points fairly, ensuring that charge points are installed to meet the needs of local communities, with a particular focus on supporting those who do not have access to off-street parking. The funding will also be used to enable cross-border collaboration between boroughs when procuring and delivering charge points. London currently has one charge point for every four registered electric vehicles in the city, compared with the national average of one charge point for every 12 vehicles. London also has the most public rapid charge points by volume and share of any European city. Since 2016 the Mayor and TfL have delivered over 300 rapid charge points with 100 new sites being tendered to the market in 2023, with additional sites to follow. All this complements over 500 rapid charge points that have been delivered by the private sector. 10,000 slow-to-fast charge points have been installed across London since 2016. This progress is essential to deliver on the Mayor’s vision for London to become a net-zero carbon city by 2030. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “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, said: “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 £35.7milllion 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, said: “Londoners 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.”