- Access to on-street EV charging in London is set to continue growing, thanks to the extension of a partnership between Transport for London (TfL) and charge point operator bp pulse.
- The continued partnership up until 2029 will enable more on-street, rapid charging to be rolled out, supporting all EV drivers and particularly those without an off-street domestic EV charger.
- So far, the partnership has already led to over 150 public chargers being rolled out across London.
Transport for London and bp pulse extend their EV charging partnership
The agreement between bp pulse and Transport for London was originally launched in 2018, and the 150-plus chargers already in place as a result of the partnership are already playing a supporting role in encouraging EV adoption in London – which remains above the national average when it comes to the rate of adoption. These chargers have proved particularly handy for electric vehicles being used on taxi and ride-hailing services, and comes as Uber aims for all cars on its platform to be fully-electric in London by the end of the year.
Right now, bp pulse is in the process of upgrading these original chargers to the latest and fastest technologies, with the CPO noticing a strong increase in charge point utilisation amongst the upgraded, faster-charging units.
By the end of the partnership in 2029, the UK will be just one year away from its 2030 ZEV mandate, which will outlaw the sale of new pure petrol and diesel cars, before banning new plug-in hybrid passenger cars in 2035. The need to rapidly grow public charging infrastructure before those two deadlines is crucial, and partnerships such as this one will be key in realising this goal. The UK government currently has a target of at least 300,000 public charge points by 2030, with that number currently standing at over 86,000, according to Zapmap.
Valerio Ferro, General Manager at bp pulse UK, commented:
“We are delighted to extend our agreement with TfL to 2029. We’ve been working hard to upgrade the charging infrastructure across London and we’re about to enter the final phase of the upgrade. We’re seeing increased demand on the new chargers, showing how important it is for taxis and ride hails to have the EV infrastructure in the right places.”
