City Hall and Transport for London’s (TfL’s) property company, Places for London, have announced that five new ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging hubs across London will be offered to the market.
During his keynote speech during last week’s London EV show (28 November), the deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance, confirmed that Places for London and TfL are seeking a partner to deliver all five sites which will be situated in: Canning Town, Hillingdon Circus, Hatton Cross, Tottenham Hale and Hanger Lane.
Hanger Lane in Ealing will have the largest site – up to 20 rapid charging bays – but each site will include at least six ultra-rapid charging bays, with at least one accessible bay. Allowing drivers to charge their vehicles in 10-30 minutes, the hubs are aimed to support high-mileage drivers including taxi and delivery drivers.
Dance also confirmed that two contracts for 51 rapid charging sites have now been signed and awarded to the chargepoint operator Zest, as part of the Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Delivery (EVID) project.
“The wheels of change are turning on London’s streets – and they’re electric. Londoners are charging ahead with electric vehicles, registering new electric cars at a far greater rate than the rest of the UK,” said Dance.
“London is leading by example, with over a third of all charge points in the UK installed in our city so far. The joint venture for ultra-rapid charging hubs announced today will make it even easier and more convenient for Londoners and local businesses to switch to electric vehicles. This will help build a better London for everyone—a city that is cleaner, greener, and healthier for all.”
The ‘Electric Vehicle Uptake in the UK and London’ report, composed by Air Quality Consultants, revealed that the number of new EVs registered in London has grown at an average of 5.5% per year, increasing from 1.3% of all new car registrations in 2018 to 23.2% in 2022. A figure that increases in inner London to 35.5%.
The rest of the UK however, is lagging behind at 15.8%, illustrating the requirement for greater support for EV charging infrastructure outside of large cities.