Mayor of London set to launch electric vehicle scheme

The scheme, Source London, will create 1,300 public electric vehicle charging stations around the city by 2013. It is part of a wider goal set out by Mayor Boris Johnson to make London the electric vehicle (EV) capital of Europe.

Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, which is backing the scheme, handed over keys today to one of its electric Nissan LEAF to Mayor Johnson. Transport for London (TfL), which is also backing the scheme, will test the five-seater, zero emission car during a month-long trial in the run up to the launch of Source London.

Source London
As part of the scheme, EV drivers will need to register their cars and pay a £100 per year fee to use the charging points, which will be located at sites of partners’ of the programme, such as Sainsburys, Asda, Capital Shopping Centres as well as London boroughs.

"Zero emission electric cars are perfect for city driving, not only delivering cheaper day-to-day running costs for their owners, but also helping to bear down on pollution levels," said Johnson today. "With a wider range of vehicles now available, we are shifting up a gear to provide more support through Source London for the increasing numbers of people who want to drive them."

Electric Vehicle Delivery Plan
Johnson set out his goal to make London the EV capital of Europe with the publication of the Electric Vehicle Delivery Plan in 2009. It sets out the objective of having 100,000 electric vehicles on the road as soon as possible, a network of publicly accessible charge points across London, and eventually for every Londoner to be within one mile of an EV charge point.

Nissan
According to Nissan research, most people in Britain (around 80 per cent) drive less than 30 miles per day, making it possible for an entire day’s travel to be made on a single charge of an electric vehicle, thereby greatly reducing carbon emissions compared with petrol vehicles.

"Critical to the success of electric vehicles is the development of a publicly accessible charging infrastructure which is set to be delivered through Source London," said Paul Willcox," Nissan managing director. "These ambitious plans should see London become one of the key cities for electric vehicles across Europe and a focus of Nissan’s electric vehicle activity."

In additional to Nissan Motor and TfL, the Clinton Foundation is promoting electric vehicle use in the city. Siemens is also backing the effort by managing the network of charging points as well as vehicle registration.

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Related links:
www.sourcelondon.net