By Alexandra Causer
The future of electric cars in London looks bright as the city leads the electric car revolution with the introduction of public charging stations according to new numbers.
Department of Transportation figures showed that Wandsworth currently has 596 charging points, followed by Hammersmith and Fulham with 528.
The numbers also showed that the capital benefited from the highest number of installed chargers in the country.
Greg Wilson, founder of the insurance comparison website Quotezone, said: “London has made impressive progress in installing a critical infrastructure for EV owners.
“Even if greener cars are becoming increasingly popular at the expense of diesel and gasoline cars, there are problems that could upset the government’s ambitious plans.”
One of the challenges facing the electric car industry is “range anxiety,” where drivers often hold back from buying electric cars because they fear the lack of a charging station will leave them stranded.
Wilson added: “However, London’s strong advances and initiatives such as Ofgem’s new concept bode well for the future of electric cars in London.
“In addition, insurance premiums may have been higher in the past as replacement parts for electric vehicles have been more difficult to obtain and mechanics who specialize in these particular vehicles have been harder to find.
“But with the increasing spread of electric cars and the entry of a growing number of insurance providers into the insurance market for electric cars, we expect the average insurance costs for electric cars to fall steadily.”
The Prime Minister has announced that as of 2030, as part of the green industrial revolution to fight climate change, there will be no fully-powered petrol and diesel cars sold in the UK.
The government has also announced it will invest more than £ 2.8 billion in electric vehicles to provide the nation with new charging points.
A map with public charging points for electric cars and further statistics can be found here: http://maps.dft.gov.uk/ev-charging-map/
