London’s progress in rolling-out charging points for public use is putting it at the forefront of the electric car revolution, according to Department for Transport figures.
Nine out of ten of the top UK local authorities are in London – with the highest number of installed charging devices. Westminster, with 1,021 devices in place, tops the figures nationwide followed by Wandsworth with 596 – and Hammersmith & Fulham with 528. Only Milton Keynes with 358 devices installed breaks London’s dominance.
The City of London followed by Kensington & Chelsea have the highest rate of publicly accessible charging devices according to relative populations. Only two local authorities outside London, Milton Keynes and Orkney Islands are in the top ten.
While the capital did not stand out for rapid charging device installations, Londoners might take heart with Ofgem’s recent announcement that will see 3,550 ultra-rapid charging devices rolled out across the UK over the next two years.
The prime minister announced in November that wholly powered petrol and diesel cars will no longer be sold in the UK from 2030 as part of the ‘green industrial revolution’ to tackle climate change. He says the government plans to ’invest more than £2.8 billion in electric vehicles, lacing the land with charging points’.
The figures from The Department for Transport cover all UK local authorities’ public charging installations up to the start of April this year.
Greg Wilson, Quotezone.co.uk’s Founder comments: “London has made impressive progress installing vital infrastructure for electric vehicle owners.
“Even though greener cars are becoming more popular at the expense of diesel and petrol cars, there are issues which could take the government’s ambitious plans off the road .
“Even though greener cars are becoming more popular at the expense of diesel and petrol cars, there are issues which could take the government’s ambitious plans off the road. One challenge is range anxiety; motorists may hold off buying electric cars because they fear the lack of a charging point will leave them stranded. London’s strong progress and initiatives such as Ofgem’s new scheme, bodes well for London’s electric car future.
“Historically, insurance premiums may have been higher as spare parts for electric vehicles could be harder to source and mechanics that specialise in these particular vehicles were harder to find but as electric cars become more mainstream and a growing number of insurance providers enter the electric car insurance market, we expect the average cost of insuring electric cars to fall steadily. The use of a comparison website such as ours, will help drivers compare quotes and find the most competitive premiums.”
Recommended by 97% of reviewers, Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products including electric car insurance.