Mayor announces plan to keep London at forefront of the electric vehicle revolution

In a keynote speech at the ‘Evening Standard Plug It In’ event at the Design Museum this evening, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will set out his plans for how London will remain at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution and his determination for London to become a cleaner, green and healthier city.

He will announce that City Hall has identified sites on the Transport for London Road Network which will be suitable for a further 100 ultra-rapid charge points. The first 25 of these will be put out to tender on 30 November, and 75 more will follow by the end of April next year, with the aim for all 100 to be operational by the end of 2023.

London now has more than 11,000 public charge points, of which 820 are rapid or ultra-rapid. This is a third of the UK’s total and a 170 per cent increase from 2019. London also has the most public rapid charge points by volume and share of any European city. There is one charge point for every four registered electric vehicles in London compared with the national average of one charge point for every twelve vehicles.

This has only been possible due to the Mayor’s leadership in the sector with his 2019 Electric Vehicle Strategy and now the London EV Infrastructure Delivery Plan setting the capital on course for a cleaner, greener future.

Ultra-rapid charge points can deliver a full charge in 20-30 minutes and are therefore most suitable for high mileage users, such as the emergency services, taxis and private hire vehicles, delivery drivers and local businesses.

In the keynote speech, the Mayor is expected to say: “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.”

The Mayor’s climate action is also creating new green jobs for Londoners. The Mayor is committed to investing in these jobs and skills of the future to help double the size of London’s green economy and establish good, green jobs within communities that need them most.

The European Association of Electrical Contractors estimate that 200,000 permanent jobs will be created in the electric vehicles sector in Europe, with around 57 per cent of jobs supporting the installation, operation and maintenance of electric vehicle charging points. More than 4,500 jobs are expected to be created to supporting charging infrastructure in London alone.

Further jobs will also be created beyond London through UK supply chains and associated industries. Electrifying London’s bus fleet by 2030, for example, could drive substantial bus orders in manufacturing locations such as Ballymena, Scarborough, Falkirk and Yorkshire, representing a gross investment into bus manufacturing of £4 billion and supporting 3,000 jobs.

The Mayor will finish his speech with a call for greater collaboration between all those involved in the EV industry: “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.

“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.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily