London to get 400 new EV charge points by end-2016

Four hundred new electric vehicle charging points will be added to London’s streets by the end of 2016 following a deal between charger specialist Bluepoint London, Transport for London (TfL) and 16 city boroughs.

The deal will give the company responsibility for expanding the capital’s charging point network as well as maintaining and operating charge points in the agreed areas.

To help EV drivers find and reserve free charging points, Bluepoint London has developed an interactive map that runs via a smartphone app.

Chargers can be booked up to 40 minutes in advance to help prevent queues and maximise each charger’s use.

Source London – Bluepoint London's electric charging network operator - will offer a £4 (Rs 393) monthly membership fee and pay-as-you go rates of 3.6p (Rs 30) per minute for the new charge points. Older charge points will continue to be free to use.

Christophe Arnaud, Bluepoint London’s managing director said: “In just over two years we’ve made significant progress to improve the state of the network, remove barriers to facilitate charging and provide easier access to points with more on-street locations in London than ever before.” 

Bluepoint London has already invested £30 million (Rs 295 crore) into Source London and says it will continue to work closely with London Boroughs and the Mayor’s office to add more charge points across London.

“We will maintain a transparent and fair fee structure for all EV users,” added Arnaud.

Demand for electric vehicles in Britain has soared in recent months, and London in particular has been an area of rapid growth.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has emphasised the importance of using low and zero-emission vehicles to clean up the city’s air. He announced a new T-charge for high polluting vehicles during the summer and wants to expand London’s Ultra-Low-Emission Zone.