Boris flicks switch on London's EV charging network

London Mayor Boris Johnson this weekend unveiled plans for a city-wide network of electric car charging points to support a predicted 100,000 new battery-powered vehicles on the capital's streets.

Source London aims to install 1,300 charging points across London by 2013 to service the expected increase in electric vehicles (EVs) as major manufacturers such as Nissan and Mitsubishi release new models.

From spring next year, scheme members can pay an annual £100 fee in order to power up their cars at any location across the capital.

The Mayor's Office said the new scheme would represent a significant improvement on today's charging arrangements whereby the capital's 2,100 plug-in EV drivers have to register in each individual borough that they want to use charge points.

Transport for London (TfL) has developed Source London along with the boroughs and private sector partners and in February secured £9.3m in funding from the government's 'Plugged in Places' fund to finance the roll-out of a new wave of charging points. A further £5.5m has been confirmed for this year with a provisional £3.8m for the following two years.

The TfL-led consortium said it was currently in discussions to develop charging networks in other UK cities under the Source banner, with the aspiration of allowing drivers to charge their cars anywhere in the country.

Johnson has been bullish about his ambitions to make London Europe's electric car capital and recently waived the congestion charge for electric and low-emissions drivers in the capital, offering a potential saving of around £2,000 a year.

"Already there are more electric drivers in London than anywhere else in the UK, but we are now entering an incredibly exciting period in electric motoring, " Johnson said. "Major manufacturers are gearing up to launch more affordable, practical electric cars over the next few years, whilst the cost of traditional fuels is making petrol-free driving an increasingly attractive option. By opting for electric in greater numbers, Londoners will also help to cut pollution levels and improve the city's quality of living."

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said that the scheme would remove another barrier to EV ownership and could kick-start a UK-wide charging network.

"Following the first round of our Plugged-in-Places scheme, cities like London are laying the groundwork for a national charge point network," he said. "And thanks to our spending review settlement which secured over £400m for measures to promote the uptake of electric and ultra-low emission vehicle technologies, more areas will soon be able to join them."