The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has revealed plans to install over 80 new rapid charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) across the capital.
This announcement comes as Khan calls on the government to follow London’s lead in accelerating the rollout of EV infrastructure nationwide.
London currently accounts for nearly one-third of all charge points in the UK and boasts the highest number and proportion of rapid charge points among European cities. In a bid to further expand the charging network, Transport for London (TfL) will release additional land for new suppliers to set up rapid and ultra-rapid charge points on the TfL road network.
The Mayor’s EV Infrastructure Strategy, published in December 2021, projected that London would require between 40,000 and 60,000 public charge points by 2030, with approximately 4,000 of them being rapid chargers. Presently, London already has 12,800 charge points, including over 900 rapid or ultra-rapid chargers.
TfL will invite bids from suppliers for two delivery contracts, encompassing a total of 51 sites across North and South London, which will provide 83 new charging bays. These sites, strategically located along major roads, aim to support high-mileage road users, such as commercial vehicles and businesses. In May 2023, a delivery contract was awarded to Zest, with the expectation of delivering 39 rapid charging bays by the end of 2024.
With this latest development, TfL will have made available a total of 122 rapid charging bays to the market, surpassing the initial target of 100. Subject to supplier agreements, the remaining sites could be completed by the end of 2025. Mayor Khan made this announcement during a visit to Volta trucks, where he marked the launch of the UK customer operations for their all-electric heavy goods vehicle, the Volta Zero.
