• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

Mayor accused of ‘half-hearted’ electric vehicle support

February 15, 2011 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

Boris Johnson’s plans to turn create the “UK’s largest electric vehicle charge point network” have “gone flat” according to London Assembly Member Darren Johnson who has accused the Mayor of “half hearted” support for electric vehicles.

On Monday the Mayor announced that work has begun on constructing 1,300 new electric charging points expected to enter service “by the end of 2013”, however that figure is far lower than the target of 7,500 charge points by the same date previously announced by the Mayor.

The charging points are being installed by over 40 Source London partners including London boroughs, retailers Sainsburys and Asda and Southern Energy.

In a statement the Mayor said “One of the biggest hurdles to greater use of electric vehicles has been a lack of charging points. But now Londoners will see Source London points popping up in locations all over the Capital. By giving increasing numbers of drivers the confidence in electric vehicle technology we will make a considerable contribution to improving our air quality and cutting carbon emissions.”

However Darren Johnson said the Mayor’s plan to make London the electric car capital of Europe had “completely lost its spark.”

Johnson added: “The Mayor never explained how he would fund the ambitious plans for 25,000 charging points which he launched with a big fan-fair in 2009. There appeared to be a solid commitment to some short term funding made a year ago, but most of that money has now disappeared.

“The Mayor’s commitment to electric vehicles is half hearted. He failed to secure the Nissan/Leaf sponsorship deal for the Olympics which media reports claim would have seen an all electric fleet. He has also failed to guarantee that these charging points will run on renewable energy, so the environmental gains are far less than they should be.”

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

RECENT UPDATES

Record number of candidates stand in London’s Mayoral election

TfL and Siemens unveil new Piccadilly line Tube train designs

852 new homes to be built in Acton by Transport for London

HGV operators in London urged to apply for a Direct Vision Standard permit




POPULAR

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.