Free parking and charging

Free charging and free parking in London

The number of charging points in the UK is accelerating so estimates of the total tend to vary. There are, however, accurate details for London. Transport for London’s website, www.newride.org.uk provides details of a total of 226 charging points in London (as at February 2010) of which the majority are in Westminster. Westminster Council is the most far sighted of the London boroughs: there is no fee for charging the battery of zero emission vehicles. Electric Vehicle Card Holders may use any one of the designated charging points to recharge their vehicle for up to 4 hours in any 24 hour period. The addresses and other details of all Westminster’s charging points are at: www.westminster.gov.uk 

Outside London, charging points are sparse. Transport for London’s website lists 54 charging points outside London. The EV network lists 82 locations in the UK with public charge points, of which, they say, about 75% are in London, indicating that there are only about 20 locations with charging points in the whole of the UK outside London. Some of those locations obviously have more than one charging point. Go to www.ev-network.org.uk .

Elektrobays in and outside London

A further indication comes from Elektromotive, the manufacturer of the country’s best-selling charging point, the Elektrobay: by December 2009, the company had installed 130 units in the UK outside London plus 125 bays in London itself. The company has also been successful in export markets and its Elektrobay was featured on a number of stands at the Brussels Motor Show in January 2010. Managing Director of Elektromotive, Calvey Taylor-Haw commented: ‘The Elektrobay is the world's most widely-used electric vehicle recharging station, so it is no surprise that vehicle manufacturers are selecting the unit to feature alongside their new electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Thanks to its clean lines and compact dimensions, the Elektrobay is the perfect partner for the Show stars making their debut at Brussels.’ See further details of Elektromotive and the Elektrobay at www.elektromotive.com

Future charging points in London

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has announced his intention to make London the ‘electric car capital of Europe’. He plans to have 25,000 charging points in place across the city by 2015: 22,500 at workplaces, 500 in the street and a further 2,000 in public car parks. He has promised that every Londoner will be within a one mile reach of an electric car charging point by 2015.

He expects that his planned infrastructure will incentivise motorists to go electric and that the total number of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in London will reach 100,000 by 2015. However, his plans are based on central government support and it is not clear whether this will be forthcoming. Mr Johnson is under pressure to improve London’s air quality or the government will incur an EU fine running into millions of pounds.

Mr Johnson says: I want to pursue radical yet practical steps to cut energy waste. Electric vehicles are a clear example of how technology can provide the solution to the biggest challenge of our generation.’ He is doing his bit by planning to buy 1,000 electric vehicles for the Greater London authority fleet by 2015.

Boris Johnson further announced in August 2009 a scheme to create Britain’s first ‘hydrogen highway’ by creating a network of hydrogen filling stations across London. He intends to assemble a pilot fleet of about 150 hydrogen cars in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, together with five buses and 20 black cabs.

Government support for more charging points

The government is providing £30 million in seed money to help deliver the charging points that electric and plug-in hybrid cars will need through the “Plugged in Places” Electrical Vehicle Infrastructure Framework. The purpose is to help a relatively small number of lead cities or regions in the UK to establish themselves as front-runners in the trialling and adoption of electric vehicle re-charging infrastructure. The government anticipates that the scheme will provide funding to consortia made up of local authorities, regional development agencies and private businesses. This funding is intended to support the installation of charging infrastructure on streets, car parks and other areas of major vehicle utilisation. In order to foster co-operation and learning between consortia Plugged In Places will be an open access framework, not a competition.

Electric vehicle parking

The availability of free parking for electric vehicles is increasing and it is advisable to contact the relevant local authority to determine their current policy. Westminster City Council is the most progressive borough. Zero emission vehicles may park in one Westminster City Council car park for a £231 annual administration fee: email carparkscustomercare@westminster.gov.uk for further details.