Fastned closes deal on charging in London

Fastned has entered into a joint venture with Places for London, the property company of Transport for London (TfL). The aim is to establish 25 electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations by the end of this decade.

The two companies will jointly invest in the development of fast-charging points at initially five locations in London. The first five sites are along busy routes in Hanger Lane, Canning Town, Hatton Cross, Tottenham Hale and Hillingdon Circus. Together, these sites will add more than 70 fast chargers (up to 400 kW) to London’s EV charging network, with each node serving hundreds of drivers a day.

The stations will allow visitors to top up to 300 km of range in 15 minutes and will use 100% certified renewable energy. The joint venture will help London accelerate the transition to electric mobility and meet the Mayor of London’s sustainability targets.
The joint venture plans to add another 20 sites by 2030. It is also keeping open the possibility of increasing this number of sites to up to 65 stations over the duration of the partnership, as market demand and opportunities arise.

Thirty million pounds

The public-private partnership will provide investment to support the growth of sustainable transport for all drivers in London. This includes the essential transport the city needs. Fastned plans to invest at least £30 million as part of this partnership, including its £16 million share of joint funding for the first five sites. This will provide charging facilities that take into account safety, inclusivity and accessibility for all.

The number of electric vehicles on London’s roads is expected to increase to between 1 and 1.4 million by 2030. This represents 34% to 49% of London’s car and van fleet. Up to around 4,000 fast chargers are expected to be needed to meet this demand. London leads the way in the use of electric vehicles in the UK, with around 193,000 plug-in electric cars and vans already registered in the capital. The city has 21,600 charging points so far, which is about a third of all EV charging infrastructure in the UK and more than any other region in the UK.

Community projects

Part of the proceeds from each of the first five charging points will go towards community projects that benefit local residents. There are plans to provide shops at many of the hubs, along with seating and play areas. There are also plans for toilets at many of the hubs. Each charging point will be accessible to all, with wheelchair-accessible parking bays and consideration for drivers with different needs. Furthermore, there will be retail space at the larger locations – giving customers a comfortable place to wait while they charge their car.

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