Marks & Spencer announced plans to install up to 900 EV charging points outside its 70 stores over the next two years.
(Picture: M&S)London’s ambitions for ultra-low emissions transport would appear to have ground to a halt as new data shows the capital has fallen behind the North East on electric vehicle infrastructure.
London now has 5.1 EV charging points per 100,000 people, below the 5.4 per 100,000 people in the North East, according to data from Volkswagen Financial Services, sparking concerns that demand for EVs in the capital may soften because of a lack of charging provision.
Problems around insufficient provision (real or perceived) show that charging point availability would now put off 36% of potential EV buyers, compared with just 29% during the previous quarter, according to VW.
Mike Todd, CEO at Volkswagen Financial Services UK, said: “Perceptions – whether right or wrong – remain about the inadequacy of the public charging infrastructure and these are deterring some from making the switch to an electric vehicle.
“It is especially concerning that the playing field is not level nationwide when it comes to charging availability.”
It comes as Marks & Spencer announced plans to install up to 900 EV charging points outside its 70 stores over the next two years.
The retailer plans to add up to 40,000 kilowatt hours of charging capacity through a partnership with BP pulse, with 15 rapid (50kW) charge points are already live and open to the public at M&S Maidstone Eclipse and Southgate following successful pilot installations.
Sacha Berendji; Director of Operations at M&S, said: “EV charging is the latest feature to ensure we have a store estate fit for the future, to help our customers live lower carbon lives.
“We know that services like EV charging are in demand from our customers, so we’re delighted to be offering this service and give more reasons for customers to shop with us.”
A jump in demand for electric vehicles helped the UK new car market grow 23.5% in November, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), as the Tesla Model Y became the second best-selling car of the month, with almost 4,000 vehicles sold.
Over 55,000 battery, plug-in and hybrid electric vehicles were registered during the month, a 32% increase on last year as EVs climbed to hit a one-third share of the total car market in the UK, with the Model Y becoming the ninth most popular car of the year with almost 25,000 vehicles registered since January.
The surge in EV registrations comes despite the removal of the road tax exemption for new EVs by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Autumn Statement, a move which could add upwards of £500 to their running costs.
