One of the problems in London for vehicle owners who wish to buy an electric one is how to recharge it. Many Londoners do not have off street parking facilities but park in the road near their house. One solution is for local councils to implement charging sockets in street lamps. Two London boroughs are trying out such arrangements.

Kensington & Chelsea are installing 50 charging points in street lighting columns next to pay and display parking bays on a trial basis. Users have to purchase a cable and pay a subscription plus a charge for the electricity used. Wandsworth is likewise to install 50 charging points on a similar scheme.

These installations are only possible where the lamp posts are next to the kerb to avoid cables crossing the footpath. Unfortunately in many roads the street lights are not at the kerb but are on the side of the footpath next to front gardens and moving them, plus the electricity supply, would be enormously expensive. Different councils seem to have adopted differing policies on street lighting positioning in the past.

Meanwhile electric black cabs have hit the streets of London. Initial deliveries of the £55,000 vehicles from the London EV Company have commenced. The taxis can travel up to 80 miles on electric charge alone, but have a back-up petrol engine that enables them to continue thereafter. The new taxi got very positive reviews in the media in terms of facilities and comfort. All new taxis have to be zero emission capable from the start of 2018.

But there are only a couple of recharging points that the new cabs can use in central London at present. An £18m scheme to install 75 rapid charging stations by the end of this year is behind schedule and Steve McNamara of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association was quoted as saying “The whole thing is just a farce, you couldn’t make it up”. TfL claim there will be up to 200 such points by the end of 2018.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

You can “follow” this blog by clicking on the bottom right.