Uber investment helps broaden coverage of EV chargers in London

Uber is to install 700 new public electric vehicle chargers across north and east London, following an agreement between the company and three London boroughs.

The fast chargers will be installed on streets in Newham, Brent, and Redbridge, boosting London’s overall charging network by more than 7%.

The initiative will also help to broaden the geographical coverage of EV chargers in London. Currently, says Uber, over a quarter of EV chargers in the capital can be found in just three boroughs Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Uber is investing £5m in the chargers, working in close collaboration with each borough to determine where they should be installed.

This is the first time that boroughs have worked with a ride-hailing company to directly install chargers on London’s streets. The chargers will be Uber branded and available for everyone to use.

Cllr James Asser, Newham’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Sustainable Transport said, “Over the next few years Uber will be moving to an all-electric fleet and Newham has the largest number of Uber drivers in London, meaning that demand is going to increase rapidly in the borough and many of our residents will need charging points to continue working. This partnership makes sense for everyone.”

Jamie Heywood, Uber general manager for Northern and Eastern Europe said, “Drivers often tell me that being able to access reliable charging near their homes is critical to their decision to switch to an electric vehicle.

“By targeting investment where it is most needed, we are confident that thousands more drivers will make the switch to electric, allowing them to benefit from lower running costs and higher earnings on Uber.

Minister for London, Paul Scully, said, “By rolling out hundreds of new EV chargers across the capital, Uber is making it easier to own and charge an electric vehicle on our road to a cleaner future.”

Newham has the worst air quality of any London borough. Around 50% of Newham’s air quality problems are generated by road traffic. The transition of vehicle fleets towards zero emission battery electric vehicles, complemented by emissions-based parking charges to incentivise the transition, will make a significant contribution to improving the borough’s air quality.

Rokhsana Fiaz, mayor of Newham, added, “We have been working hard to tackle toxic air pollution and to improve the quality of the environment in the borough. There is a huge challenge to meet and part of that is reducing pollution from vehicles. We know that residents want to do their part, and many are changing over to electric vehicles and the infrastructure is needed to ensure they can make that change and contribute to lower emissions.

“This agreement with Uber brings funding into Newham to help make charging more available, which can help support the jobs of thousands of Newham-based drivers. We promised to increase our EV charging points and this will help create a bigger network of chargers that all our residents can use and benefit from.”

The next step is a procurement process to select a preferred charge point operator to provide, install, operate and maintain the Uber-funded network of public electric vehicle chargers.