TfL announces £18m spending on rapid EV charging network
Wed 26 April 2017
View all news
Transport for London (TfL) has appointed suppliers who will install 300 rapid charge points in the city by 2020. New taxis licensed after January 1, 2018 will have to be zero-emission capable and there will be a dedicated charging network to support them.
TfL has appointed the Centrica Consortium, BluepointLondon, Chargemaster, Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and Fastned to fund, maintain, operate and install the network.
An initial 75 fast chargers are due to be operational by the end of the year. While some of the sites will be exclusively for black cabs, the network will also be open to the increasing number of other EV drivers in London.
Ben Plowden, TfL’s director of surface strategy and planning, said: “An extensive, rapid charging network is fundamental in helping drivers make the shift from fossil fuels to electric.”
Pricing has not yet been announced but the main existing network in the capital, Source London, would cost a Leaf driver £10.80 to fully top up with a rapid charger, plus a £4 monthly fee. TfL says the cost to drivers will be capped for the first two years.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association expects the first electric black cabs on London’s roads in September.
In another development relating to EV infrastructure, Tesla has announced plans to double the number of charging stations it has globally from 5,000 to 10,000 by the end of the year in preparation for the arrival of its mass-consumer Model 3 electric vehicle.
Tesla says it will also have more than 15,000 Destination Charging connectors around the world.
The blog post says: “Toward that goal, Tesla will build larger sites along our busiest travel routes that will accommodate several dozen Teslas Supercharging simultaneously.
“In addition, many sites will be built further off the highway to allow local Tesla drivers to charge quickly when needed, with the goal of making charging ubiquitous in urban centres.”
Related Links
< Back to news list