Posted by Joe Talora, Local Democracy Reporter
London could need up to 60,000 electric vehicle charging points by 2030 to support the transition to greener transport, TfL has announced.
The Mayor of London’s Strategy for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure 2030, released last week, includes modeling TfL that will require an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 electric vehicle charging points in the capital by the beginning of the next decade, of which 4,000 need to be charged quickly.
There are currently just over 7,000 charging points for electric vehicles within the M25 border, including 300 quick charging points that can fully charge a vehicle battery in around 30 minutes.
Last year around 2,000 new charging points were introduced in London, some of which are reserved exclusively for electric Black Cabs.
The Mayor’s strategy has identified the lack of available land as one of the major obstacles to expanding electric vehicle infrastructure in London and has proposed using public sector land to house up to 1,000 fast charging points.
Christina Calderato, Director of Transport Strategy and Policy at TfL, said: “London’s toxic air is reducing the quality of life and quality of life across the city and is contributing to climate change.
“An improved infrastructure for electric vehicles can support critical journeys with zero-emission modes of transport, which will help tackle the dual threats of air pollution and climate emergencies.
“Since we published the Mayor’s Task Force EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan in 2019, the number of EV charging points in London has increased by 55 percent and now accounts for around a third of all charging points in the UK.
“The innovative approach to public sector land development in the capital, as set out in the Mayor’s 2030 Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, will accelerate the delivery of much-needed fast charging points and support better access for all users in all areas of London.”
While the plan to expand the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles was largely welcomed, the London Cycling Campaign emphasized that electric cars “can only be part of the reduction in traffic emissions”.
Simon Munk, Campaign Manager at London Cycling Campaign, said: “We need a fast introduction of charging points for electric vehicles. But we also need to be aware that electric vehicles can only be part of reducing traffic emissions.
“The Committee on Climate Change has made it clear that we need to reduce driving and enable alternatives to using cars, whether electric or not, as a priority for emissions.
“And of course, electric cars will not solve London’s traffic jams, road hazards and inactivity, nor will they completely solve the pollution problems.
“The great priority must be to enable more pedestrian and bicycle traffic and to improve public transport.”
The government’s plan to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars from 2030, as well as regional air pollution policies like ULEZ and the ULEZ expansion, have increased demand for new electric vehicles by more than 30 percent over the past year.
But a surge in demand and a global shortage of semiconductors have caused supply issues to disrupt the electric vehicle market, with potential buyers facing waiting lists of up to a year for a brand new electric car.
Autotrader estimates that electric vehicle sales could overtake gasoline and diesel vehicle sales as early as 2025, while the ban on new gasoline and diesel cars could see them almost entirely disappear from UK roads in the mid-2040s.
