View Single Post
  #1   Report Post  
Old May 22nd 09, 01:49 PM posted to uk.transport.london
Mizter T Mizter T is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity at LondonBanter: May 2005
Posts: 6,077
Default Boris' battery drive - London to go green for electric cars...

....apparently:

"London Mayor Boris Johnson has announced plans that he hopes will
make the city the electric vehicle (EV) capital of Europe" - report
from technology news site The Register:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/05...capital_plans/


Two interesting excerpts from this story...
---quote---
Only 2500 of the charging posts will be installed and funded directly
by the GLA. The remaining 22,500 will come as a result of the GLA
working “with the [London] boroughs and other partners”.

Further details of exactly what that means and, crucially, who’ll pay
for the posts will follow in an announcement in November.
---/quote---

....and...

---quote---
In related news, a report by analyst Frost and Sullivan has suggested
that in order to promote widespread use of EVs governments must
“ensure the availability of at least four charging points per EV in
the first year”.

If the analysis is correct then London alone will need 250,000 charge
points by 2015, rather than the GLA's projected 25,000 points.
---/quote---


I'm all for electric cars, no doubt, but they're obviously not the
magic solution to London's transport needs (though one fear Bozza & Co
are capable of selling it as such). That said, it doesn't stop them
playing a part in London's travel mix - page 9 of this Electric
Vehicles Plan from the Mayor does at least set out some legitimate
arguments as to why "London is the best potential market for EVs
[Electric Vehicles] in the UK" - see (PDF):
http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/publi...icles-plan.pdf

And of course the electricity to power said vehicles needs to be
generated somewhere and somehow - which is in itself a rather wider
debate, and indeed one which is currently going on.