London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

London to see surge in ultra-rapid charging points for electric cars

London to see surge in ultra-rapid charging points for electric cars

100 new power points planned on capital’s main roads

London’s electric vehicle revolution was given a big boost on Thursday by plans for 100 new ultra-rapid charging points.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said City Hall and Transport for London would release land near the capital’s Red Route main road network to increase the number of “on the go” chargers for taxis and business and emergency vehicles.

He was due to speak on Thursday afternoon at the Evening Standard’s first Plug It In summit, bringing together experts, innovators and policy makers to lead the conversation on driving the capital’s switch to electric vehicles and develop a global “electric city” blueprint.

London leads the UK in its provision of public charging points, with one for every four electric vehicles registered in the capital.

Of the 34,637 charging points in the UK, 11,028 are in London – including 820 rapid or ultra-rapid chargers, which can deliver up to a 200-mile top-up charge in 20-30 minutes.

But while London has the largest number of chargers per head, it is only eighth best of the UK regions or nations when it comes to rapid (or faster) chargers, with a rate of 9.1 per 100,000 people.


Sadiq Khan at the launch of a London rapid charging network for electric vehicle

Mr Khan, who has pledged to deliver a “net zero” city by 2030, said London was nevertheless ahead of other European cities on rapid chargers – and pledged to deliver more.

Contracts to install the first 25 ultra-rapid charging points will be put out to tender next week, and 75 more will follow by the end of April. The aim is to have all 100 operational by the end of 2023.

Mr Khan was expected to say: “I’m in no doubt that the shift to electric vehicles is imperative to cleaning up our air and bringing down harmful emissions.

“As a city, we’ve travelled an impressive distance in a relatively short period of time in terms of rolling out the necessary infrastructure and encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles. But the gravity of the threats we face from the climate crisis and toxic air pollution demand that we now redouble our efforts and go even further, even faster.

“It’s vital we don’t take our foot off the pedal now and lose momentum. Freeing up public land to deliver more charging points, and charging hubs, will be crucial to hitting and, hopefully, exceeding this target.”

Mr Khan’s strategy is for 40,000 to 60,000 charging points by 2030 – with about one in 10 being rapid chargers. Building the network is expected to create 4,500 jobs.

The number of public chargers in London – typically in lampposts, on street or in car parks - has increased by 40 per cent in a year.

Westminster is the borough with most (1,494) while Bexley and Harrow have least, each with 46.

A woman runs past an electric Mini Cooper charging on Sutherland Avenue, London

Other speakers at the Design Museum event included designer Paul Priestman, Andrew Brem, the UK general manager of Uber, Jonathan Goodman, head of Polestar UK, and Christina Calderato, director of transport strategy at TfL.

Mr Khan, who plans to go electric when he next upgrades his car, wants to make it “easier and more convenient for Londoners” to switch.

He sees electric vehicles as a key form of transport for journeys that can’t be walked, cycled or made by public transport – but wants to reduce all car traffic by 28 per cent by the end of the decade.

He said London should be “proud” of how much had been achieved in going electric.


“One of the things that is wonderful about our city is the transformation in the last few years in relation to more electric vehicles and the increase in sales and the increase in the [charging] grid,” he said.

“But we can’t stand still. We need more electric vehicle charging points. We need more rapid charging points.

“Manufacturers having the confidence of knowing there is a market for this will mean the price coming down. That’s why it is really important we lobby the Government to give us more support but London is leading the way.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×