Transport for London (TfL) has awarded Zest a contract to roll out 39 new electric vehicle (EV) charging bays across 24 locations in south and southwest London by the end of 2024 including outer London boroughs such as Sutton and Bromley. The charging infrastructure will be placed in parking bays near key routes used for essential road journeys typically made by high mileage, commercial users – including taxis and freight.
The UK new car market recorded a third month of growth in October, with registrations rising by more than a quarter (26.4 per cent) to 134,344 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Fulfilment of strong order books helped deliver the bounce-back, although the increase follows a particularly disappointing October 2021 when deliveries fell by -24.6 per cent. In the year to date, the market is down -5.6 per cent on the same period in 2021, but still a third below pre-Covid levels.
The creation of a robust, reliable, and fit for purpose public charging infrastructure that enjoys the full confidence of EV drivers is central to mainstream adoption of electric cars. Mike Coulton, Volkswagen Financial Services UK EV Consultant believes the UK’s postcode lottery of public chargepoints may be contributing to ’charging anxiety’ among potential EV drivers, but suggests the conundrum of a lack of overall public charge points is a common misconception.
The first bespoke Electric Vehicle (EV) charging forecourt opened in Essex recently, regarded by some as heralding the demise of petrol and diesel service stations. The move is applauded by motorists who remain uncertain about the practicalities of charging EV batteries, including charging times and home charging. A recent survey from Venson Automotive Solutions confirms that 68 per cent of drivers would be more likely to make the switch to an EV if they knew they could conduct a rapid 30-minute charge at an electric forecourt rather than the inconvenience of charging their vehicle at home.
Hankook is supporting Volkswagen’s 20,000km tour of Germany to test the national fast-loading network. Starting in Germany winter sports town Oberstdorf, the VW ID.3 will visit more than 600 VW dealers and charging stations on the 65-day ID.3 Germany Tour, running on Hankook’s new Winter i*cept evo 3 UHP winter tyres. The tour concludes on the northern island of Sylt. The campaign vehicle fits 215/55 R18 99V XL tyres, and will be driven by Rainer Zietlow from CHALLENGE4 agency, a driver with significant experience in long-distance rides and holder of world records on all continents. He is accompanied by co-driver Dominic Brüner. VW’s tour includes visits to Hankook’s European headquarters in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt am Main and to the company’s European research and development centre in Hanover.
Charging an electric vehicle using a public charging point can cost almost 10 times more than charging up at home. This is according to Britain’s new-car buying platform, What Car?
A potential “charging crisis” could soon emerge among vehicle remarketing companies as electric vehicles start to make their way onto the used market in larger numbers, says the Vehicle Remarketing Association.
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has announced that Government funding for the installation of chargepoints on residential streets next year will be doubled to £10 million. According to the Government, “this could fund up to another 3,600 chargepoints across the country”.
Hungry Britons will use the same amount of power to cook their turkey this Christmas as needed to send an electric vehicle around the world more than 10,000 times.
Morrisons is unveiling its first 50 GeniePoint rapid charging points at its stores nationwide, with a further 50 planned by 2020. To help customers, the GeniePoint charging points have been located around the perimeter of the car parks to ensure they are available to those who need them and not obstructed by other customers, says Morrisons.
London will receive upwards of 50,000 more electric chargepoints between now and 2025 after mayor Sadiq Khan called for an “electric revolution”. The number of electric vehicles in the capital is expected to jump from about 20,000 to 330,000 by then.
ChargePoint, the world’s leading EV charging network, announced the opening of a series of new EV rapid charging locations in Central London in support of the Mayor and Transport for London’s EV Infrastructure Taskforce, which launches its delivery plan today (17 June). ChargePoint has been part of the EV Infrastructure Taskforce stakeholder group for the last year, working with the Mayor’s Office, TfL and other organisations on setting out the vision for the future of EV charging in London as demand and adoption of electric vehicles continues to grow.
Fastned, a charging company which is building a European network of fast charging stations, won a second tender in the UK led by the North East Joined Transport Committee. Fastned will build and operate five fast charging stations (hubs) for electric vehicles across the region. Each station will initially house two 50 kW fast chargers (known as “rapid” chargers in the UK) that will deliver 100 per cent renewable electricity.
New research from LeasePlan has revealed the UK is lagging behind European leaders in its electric vehicle preparation. The annual index has revealed the UK has lost its 2018 position within the top five, dropping down to seventh, as Germany, Sweden and Austria are now more prepared for the electric vehicle revolution.
Chargemaster, which is now part of BP, has been selected as the official charging provider for Cenex-LCV2018 and will deliver both exhibitor and visitor charging at the event, which is in its 11th year.
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