Zest will provide and operate 39 rapid or ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging bays on public land - locations have been selected to allow high mileage road users, such as commercial vehicles, to make the switch to zero emission transport.
The charge points will be rolled out across south and southwest London by the end of 2024 including outer London boroughs such as Sutton and Bromley. More than 60 further charging points will follow across locations in other parts of the capital.
The new installations will bring London’s ever-growing electric vehicle charging network to nearly 13,000 charging points.
The Mayor is fulfilling his pledge to unlock land owned by TfL and other members of the Greater London Authority, including the London Fire Brigade, the London Ambulance Service, and the Metropolitan Police, as well as partners in the NHS, to increase the density of the rapid charging network across the city.
London has the largest uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK - 103,000 electric cars and vans are already registered, and almost 13,000 charge points which is 31% of the EV charging infrastructure across the UK.
"The UK needs an injection of serious infrastructure to meet its net zero goals, and it is farsighted public sector organisations who are taking the lead,” said Robin Heap, Zest CEO.
“Placing rapid and ultra-rapid charging points directly onto London’s high-volume arterial roads will make it easier for drivers to choose electric and improve the air quality for local communities.
“We're looking forward to providing and operating these charge points in partnership with Transport for London."
London is on track to meet its target of 40,000-60,000 charging points by 2030, but to facilitate this ambitious goal, the Mayor wants to go further by facilitating space for a 100 new rapid charge points.
The 39 new bays will be installed at 24 locations spread across Bromley, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth.
“These 39 bays are the start of our new programme to boost the number of rapid charging points in the capital by making public land available to private sector providers to support those making the switch to zero emission vehicles,” said David Rowe, TfL’s Director of Investment Delivery Planning.
“More rapid charging points are key to encouraging people and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles, giving drivers confidence that they have a place to power up in a short period of time.
“We’re glad to be working with Zest to expand the number of EV charging points across the capital, adding to the city’s extensive network.
“As we work towards the Mayor’s commitment to achieving Net Zero carbon by 2030, we hope the easier access to rapid and ultra-rapid charging points will encourage those who need to drive in the capital to consider the greenest vehicles for their next car or van which will have the most significant impact in cleaning up London’s toxic air and tackle climate change.”
As of February 2023, London has the most public rapid charge points of any European city. Around 880 of the thousands of EV charging points to be found across the capital are rapid or ultra-rapid charging points that deliver a full charge within 30 minutes.
“These new electric vehicle charge points will make it quick, easy and more convenient for Londoners in south and southwest London to charge their vehicles, enabling more people to make the switch to greener cars with more confidence,” said Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy.
“Electric cars are just one of the ways we can help to clean up London’s air and reduce harmful, toxic emissions, and for us to meet our ambitious net-zero targets.”
TfL is working to bring as many EV charging bays as they can to London’s streets as quickly as possible to ensure there are enough charging points for the demand. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles announced in late March that London has been allocated £35.7m funding for Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Capital funding.
This is additional to the £9.7m LEVI pilot funding awarded in the last financial year which will see 400 fast charge points introduced in boroughs across north and west London, alongside additional government funding awarded to boroughs through the On-street Residential Charge point Scheme.
The rollout will be completed at no cost to TfL, with its partner Zest set to fund the capital and operational costs of the programme.
