Wandsworth Council has begun the rollout of 525 new 5kW lamppost EV charging points across the borough with power supply coming from zero carbon sources of energy.
The publicly-available charge points, provided by Ubitricity, have been fitted to lamposts to reduce pavement clutter and keep footpaths free for pedestrians.
Wandsworth currently has about 1,500 charge points and is looking to become carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon zero by 2050.
Also, Wandsworth’s Zipcar Flex car club provides electric vehicles to hire by the hour, day or longer periods.
The London borough has the highest take-up rate of car club membership in the country with about 45,000 registered members.
In addition, the council is currently replacing its own fleet of cars, vans and trucks with electric versions.
Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport said, “We are actively putting in place the key infrastructure needed to help our residents who want to make the switch from petrol and diesel to electric.
“We will continue to invest in this technology as part of our efforts to improve the borough’s air quality and also to help us deliver our ambitious climate change targets.”
Toby Butler, Ubitricity’s UK Managing Director, said, “The current surge in EV sales is driving increased demand for charging facilities and this can create issues for drivers who don’t have access to off-street charging where they live.
“By expanding their EV charge point network to provide convenient facilities for both residents and businesses using electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources, Wandsworth Council is making the transition to EV easier and helping give drivers the confidence to make the switch.”
