Siemens will start installing EV charge points in London, with more than 1,000 new units planned to be delivered in the city by the end of 2020.
The project is part of a £3.7 million contract, after Siemens was awarded a place on the city’s framework, run by Transport for London (TfL), London Councils, and the Greater London Authority.
Partnering with Ubitricity – which already works with a number of London councils to supply on-street residential EV charging – Siemens will make use of the network’s expertise in converting lamp posts to install charge points.
With conversion times of less than an hour, a lamp post fitted with an EV charging socket takes a fraction of the time to install than a conventional EV unit.
With much of the centre of London not offering off-street parking for residents, the take up of electric cars amongst Londoners is dependent on the creation of wide-ranging on-street EV charging infrastructure.
Ubitricity has already fitted around 300 charge points in London’s lamp posts, and this is set to expand considerably by the end of 2020, to 1,150 units fitted by TfL contractors.
Chris Beadsworth, Director, Siemens Energy Management, said: “Our mission is to help improve the quality of everyday life for millions of people around the globe. Improving air quality through decarbonisation of transport is a vital element of this, but to make it a reality, we need to have enough charging points in the right places and available at the right time.
“By using existing infrastructure, it will provide a quality, convenient and simple charging point to help accelerate the increase in privately owned electric vehicles. Our aim is that charging your car should be as simple as charging your phone.”
Knut Hechtfischer – founder, Ubitricity, said: “Ubitricity’s mission here in London is to make electric vehicle charging what we refer to as ubiquitous, making charging accessible by every Londoner, everywhere in London.
“A significant proportion of residents park their vehicles on-street, to make the change over to electric they need to be ensured of convenient, reliable and affordable charging, the same benefits that those with off-street parking enjoy.
“By working with Siemens to deliver our technology this is now becoming a reality for all Londoners. If we want to improve the air quality in London, electric vehicle charging must be available to all, whether you happen to park on-street or off-street.”
Ben Plowden, TfL’s Director of Strategy and Network Development, said: “The framework we’ve created for suppliers will make it easier for boroughs to improve Londoners’ access to electric charging points.
“This will make London’s transport greener and improve its air quality. These boroughs are at the forefront of electrifying London, and it is by working together that we can clean up the capital’s toxic air.”
Users of the new charge points will require an Ubitricity Smart Cable, which both controls the charging process – without the need for an RFID card or app – and calculates how much electricity is used. This is then paid for through the customer’s Ubitricity energy tariff, with deals often available for residents through their respective local authority.
Find existing Ubitricity charge points on Zap-Map, with new ones added as they go live
