Westminster to launch UK's largest on-street electric car charging service » Environment » 24dash.com

More drivers than ever before will be able to dodge higher fuel prices in central London today as Westminster City Council rolls out the largest on-street car recharging service in the UK.

As well as saving cash, commuters will also be helping to save the environment by using any of the 12 on-street Juice Points for a small annual fee to recharge their electric motors, on top of getting massive discounts to use an additional 48 charging points in the council's car parks.

The new posts have been installed outside homes, offices and prime locations across Westminster following a successful pilot scheme in Covent Garden.

Users will have to pay an annual £75 fee to cover administration costs to register and use the on-street recharging posts. They will then receive a high quality recharging cable and personalised key, which will trigger a welcome message and start charging.

The launch event will give residents and visitors the opportunity to try out a number of electric cars and learn more about minimising drivers’ impact on the environment.

The posts, which cost £3,300 each, have been funded by Westminster City Council, Transport for London, the Energy Saving Trust and EDF Energy.

Westminster Council is leading the way in encouraging greener forms of car travel. Following the success of the Council’s electric car charging points, the London boroughs of Camden and Islington have installed posts of their own and Wandsworth is planning to do so.

The total number of 60 juice points includes 12 on street recharging points and 48 points in 13 of Westminster Council’s car parks.

The scheme is part of Westminster Council’s strategy to improve its air quality and is part of its Go Green programme, which sets out the ways in which the City Council intends to lead in creating a more sustainable city.

Councillor Alan Bradley, Cabinet Member for Street Environment at Westminster City Council, said: "We hope, by taking the lead and offering more recharging points than any other area of the UK, that we can get more people to switch to electric-powered cars, saving both money and the environment.

"This scheme represents an important step in the development of environmentally friendly travel and an improvement to London’s transport system, and we hope other councils will follow our lead, not just in London but across the country, so we can have a truly comprehensive system of recharging points across the UK".

Robert McKinnon, Head of Business Marketing at the Energy Saving Trust, said: “With over 20% of the UK’s total carbon emission produced by road transport every year, these advances in technology are vital. Driving electrical cars is just one of the ways of cutting down harmful emissions in the city. We’re proud to have been involved in supporting this innovative development and hopefully Westminster, as well as the environment, will see the benefits.”

Peter Thorn, EDF Energy Head of Business Development Strategy, said: “EDF Energy and Elektromotive are firmly committed to encouraging the development of a UK wide recharging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

"We firmly believe that by making recharging posts readily available, there will be greater interest in electrical transport, which in turn will help people reduce the impact their driving has on the environment. That is why we are delighted to be supporting Westminster City Council in the official launch of the additional charging posts and the ongoing development of electric transportation.”

Alex Williams, Director of Borough Partnerships at TfL said: "We are delighted with the launch of the new electric car recharging points in Westminster.

"TfL provides funding for the capital costs of electric charging points and to date there are around 40 charging points installed across London, in the boroughs of Islington, Camden, Greenwich, Sutton, Kingston, Kensington and Chelsea, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, Ealing, Southwark and the City. "