London is set to gain 100 new ultra-rapid public EV chargepoints across the city with aims for all to be operational by the end of 2023.
This would add to the capital’s growing arsenal of public EV chargepoints, with London boasting more than 11,000 to date, of which 820 are either rapid or ultra-rapid.
The scaling of EV public chargepoints in London could help reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector of the city. By providing further access points for EV charging, more residents living in the City of London would be able to adopt EVs ahead of the internal combustion engine (ICE) sale ban, which is set to come into force in 2030.
City Hall has identified sites on the Transport for London (TfL) Road Network that would be suitable for the 100 ultra-rapid charge points. The first 25 of these are expected to be put to tender on 30 November, with 75 more to follow by the end of April 2023.
In 2017, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan unveiled ambitious plans for the city’s entire transport network to be zero emission by 2050. The strategy indicated the first target was to cut as many as three million car journeys within London’s borders.
Having added a vast quantity of public chargers to the streets of London, the transition to clean transport solutions on the city’s roads is truly underway. In fact, the Mayor of London stated that there is one chargepoint for every four registered EVs in London compared with the national average of one chargepoint for every twelve vehicles.
Speaking at the Evening Standard Plug It In event on Thursday, Khan further highlighted the importance of supporting the transition to clean transportation technologies.
“I’m in no doubt that the shift to electric vehicles is imperative to cleaning up our air and bringing down harmful emissions. As a city, we’ve travelled an impressive distance in a relatively short period of time in terms of rolling out the necessary infrastructure and encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles. But the gravity of the threats we face from the climate crisis and toxic air pollution demand that we now redouble our efforts and go even further, even faster,” Khan said.
“It’s vital we don’t take our foot off the pedal now and lose momentum. That’s why my administration has published its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy and set a target of quadrupling – at a minimum – the number of public chargepoints in London by 2030.
“Freeing up public land to deliver more charging points, and charging hubs, will be crucial to hitting and, hopefully, exceeding this target. And so to that end, I’m pleased to announce that next Wednesday TfL will be putting 25 of its sites out to tender for chargepoint operators.”
One such rapid charging hub for EVs was opened in September 2021 in Woolwich. The Glass Yard hub offers eight chargepoints for EVs, capable of charging vehicles in 20-30 minutes, making it more likely space will be available at the site.
While the charging infrastructure is currently sufficient to meet demand in the capital, this demand is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years. It is estimated that London will need up to 4,000 rapid charging points and 48,000 residential chargers by 2025 according to the Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Delivery Plan.
Khan’s final pledge called for greater collaboration in a bid to support the decarbonisation of transportation.
“We must deepen our collaboration. To make it easier and more convenient for Londoners to go electric. To establish our city’s reputation as a world leader in the delivery of charging points and infrastructure,” said Khan.
“And to ultimately build a better London for everyone – a city that is greener, safer, fairer and more prosperous for all. This is my vision for the future of our city and its road network and I hope that, together, we can bring it to life and usher in a new, healthier, electric age for London.”
In 2020, the Mayor of London and Transport for London were presented with a special recognition award in the Public Transport Authority of the Year category at the inaugural Electric Vehicle Innovation and Excellence awards, run by Current±’s publisher Solar Media.