Electric vehicles, London

News London
See separate article Electric vehicles, London news

London’s city wide electric vehicle charging network, 'Source London', will launch in Spring 2011.

Source London, which will deliver 1,300 public charging points across London by 2013, is part of the Mayor’s plans for London to become the electric vehicle capital of Europe. The Source London network will create a single visual identity for electric driving across the capital, and allow members to charge their vehicles at any one of these public charging points for no more than an £100 annual membership fee. Currently electric vehicle drivers have to register in each separate borough they want to use charge points in. In preparation for this new network a website, www.sourcelondon.net, has also been launched providing a 'one stop shop' of information on electric vehicles, including charge point locations across the city. Once Source London has been launched in Spring 2011 drivers will be able to sign up for the scheme online.

The development of Source London, has been led by Transport for London in close collaboration with the London boroughs and a wide range of private sector partners – who will play a key part in funding and providing locations for the network's charge points. Discussions are now taking place with other UK cities developing charge point networks to ensure they can be used seamlessly by electric vehicle drivers and to ensure London's work can contribute to a national network of charge points. Transport for London has offered these cities the use of the trademarked Source brand which could mean the creation of a national network under a single identity.

The Mayor has recently reaffirmed a 100 per cent discount from the congestion charge for electric drivers in the capital, as well as other low emission vehicles, which offers electric vehicle owners using the zone a potential saving of more than £2000 a year.


 * London has almost a quarter of registered electric vehicles in the UK (approximately 17,000 pure electric or hybrid electric vehicles are registered in London out of the UK total of 71,141, this is 23.5 per cent – there are around 2100 plug-in electric vehicles).
 * London is suited to becoming an electric vehicle world leader with 90 per cent of all car trips less than 10 miles – well within the range of any electric vehicle. Across the UK less than 1per cent of all car journeys are more than 100 miles.
 * 100,000 electric vehicles estimated to replace 100,000 petrol or diesel vehicles currently in use and doing an average daily car journey in London (circa 15km) would deliver a saving of some 100 tonnes of oxides of nitrogen and 3.8 tonnes of particulate matter which are both key air pollutants generated from road transport that have negative affects on human health.
 * The RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge took place on Saturday 6 November. The aim of the rally is to show-case the burgeoning green technology within the motor industry. More than 60 cars were entered by a number of leading manufacturers to take part in the 60 mile challenge from Madeira Drive, Brighton to Regent Street, London.
 * In May 2009 the Mayor published his Electric Vehicle Delivery Plan (EVDP) which detailed how he would work to make London the electric vehicle capital of Europe. The London consortium led by TfL secured £9.3million in funding from the Government’s ‘Plugged in Places’ Fund in February 2010, with £5.5M confirmed for this year and a provisional award of £3.8M for the following two years. DfT will announce confirmed Plugged in Places funding for 2011/13 before the end of the year. The London Consortium led by TfL involves both public and private partners including London boroughs, major supermarkets, energy companies, car park operators, vehicle manufacturers and car hire companies.
 * At present (November 2010) there are over 250 charging points in the capital, over half funded by TfL, with around 16729 pure electric or hybrid electric vehicles currently registered with DVLA (with approx 2100 plug-in electric vehicles) – far exceeding numbers anywhere else in the UK. A 1,300 network of charge points will be able to support tens of thousands more electric vehicles in London and will help realise the Mayor’s vision of 100,000 electric vehicles in the capital as soon as possible.

External links
 * Source London information about London's electric vehicle charging network

References