The latest government figures regarding electric car charging stations and how London is preparing for the EV revolution are… unsurprising.
We analysed ONS data to find which of London’s 32 boroughs has the most EV charging stations and the highest number of charging devices in comparison to their population. Our goals: to answer your question “How prepared is London for the upcoming EV boom?”. Here is what we discovered.
Somewhat predictably, the data reveals that Westminster has the most electric car charging stations as well as the highest percentage per number of residents. This is also the highest number in the UK ahead of many major cities such as Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham.
This latest report comes as the prime minister has announced that from next year all new homes and buildings in England will be required by law to install electric vehicle charging points.
In the midst of London’s EV revolution, other affluent areas such as Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and the City of London also have high numbers of charging devices that can respond to their residents.
In terms of total public charging devices, Wandsworth is the only borough in the South to make it into the top 5. The bottom of the list is Havering, joined in the bottom 5 boroughs by Bexley and Sutton, all in the South of London. However, there’s also a spot in the bottom 5 for Harrow in the West of London which as a whole is very prepared for car electrification.
As you can see in the interactive maps below, Central, North and West London has the greater percentage of electric car charging points with East and South London being left behind. However, the story isn’t the same when it comes to ‘rapid’ charging points.
Whilst Westminster also has the most rapid charging stations, Kensington and Chelsea, Harrow and the City of London have the least. Meanwhile, Greenwich in the South has the 2nd most rapid charging stations.
While the UK as a whole has about 25,000 charging points, the Competition and Markets Authority has said it could need 10 times as many before 2030. London is leading the way with several boroughs having more charging stations than major cities and even some of the least equipped boroughs having more than small cities and large residential areas in the North of the country.
As far as London boroughs are concerned, one thing is clear: the East and South of London comparably lack electric charging devices to serve its current residents. Boroughs such as Havering, Bexley, Redbridge and Croydon are the least equipped in the Greater London area for an upcoming electric car increase.
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