TfL seeks partner to deliver five ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging hubs

Places for London – TfL’s property company – is seeking a joint venture partner to unlock TfL land at five sites identified for new ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging hubs across the capital.

Creating a long-term JV partnership will enable Places for London to directly shape the design and delivery of the hubs while generating long-term revenue, which can then be reinvested back into the transport network.

The initial ultra-rapid charging hubs will be located in Hanger Lane, Canning Town, Hillingdon Circus, Hatton Cross and Tottenham Hale. Hubs, which will include at least six ultra-rapid charging bays, will allow drivers to charge their vehicles in 10-30 minutes, and will include at least one bay for those with accessibility needs.

The hubs are aimed at high-mileage drivers such as taxis, private hire vehicles, delivery drivers, sole traders, and local businesses. Hanger Lane in Ealing will host the largest site, with up to 20 rapid charging bays and retail facilities.

London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance also announced the award of two contracts covering a further 51 sites for rapid charge points to charge point operator Zest, as part of City Hall’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Delivery (EVID) project. City Hall now has contracts with Zest in place to deliver over 100 rapid charging bays on the TfL road network with installation beginning in early 2024.

The new sites will add to London’s expanding network of more than 18,000 publicly accessible charge points, of which 1,000 are rapid or ultra-rapid. This is over one third of the UK’s total public charging network, and a four-fold increase from 2019. This puts London on track to deliver its expected requirement of 40,000 to 60,000 charge points by 2030, with 4,000 being rapid charge points.

New data also reveals that new electric car registrations in London have outpaced the rest of the UK and diesel car registrations have declined sharply since 2018. The Electric Vehicle Uptake in the UK and London report prepared by Air Quality Consultants reveals that the proportion of new electric cars registered in London has increased from 1.3% of all new car registrations in 2018 to 23.2% in 2022 - an annual average growth rate of 5.5%.

Growth was even stronger in inner London, increasing from 2% in 2018 to 35.5% in 2022. This compares to 0.6% to 15.8% in the rest of the UK over the same period.

Meanwhile, registrations of diesel cars have decreased significantly in the capital. New diesel car registrations peaked in 2016 at 38.6%, but were only 4.6% in 2022. This, the report attributes to wider public awareness of air quality issues and the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

Since the ULEZ expanded to cover all London boroughs at the end of August, 95% of vehicles driving in London now meet the ULEZ emission standards, up from 39% in 2017.

Seb Dance, London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, said, “The wheels of change are turning on London’s streets - and they're electric. Londoners are charging ahead with electric vehicles, registering new electric cars at a far greater rate than the rest of the UK.

“London is leading by example, with over a third of all charge points in the UK installed in our city so far. The joint venture for ultra-rapid charging hubs announced today will make it even easier and more convenient for Londoners and local businesses to switch to electric vehicles.”

The Electric Vehicle Uptake in the UK and London report can be read here