An electric vehicle charging point (Owen Humphreys/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)More than 700 electric vehicle chargers are to be installed in three London boroughs in a £5 million investment funded by Uber.
The charging points in Newham, Brent and Redbridge are aimed at drivers who live in blocks of flats or other homes that do not have driveways or easy access to chargers.
They will hugely boost the number of charging points in the boroughs, particularly Newham where the total will treble from just 210 to more than 600. Across London as a whole it will increase the overall charging network by seven per cent.
The boroughs were chosen in part because of the large number of Uber drivers who live there, but the charging points will be available for anyone to use. Around 90 per cent of new Uber drivers use fully electric cars.
Uber general manager for northern and eastern Europe Jamie Heywood said: “Drivers often tell me that being able to access reliable charging near their homes is critical to their decision to switch to an electric vehicle.
“By targeting investment where it is most needed, we are confident that thousands more drivers will make the switch to electric.”
The Uber branded points being installed are 7-22 kW AC chargers which provide a full charge between two and six hours.
Imtiaz Elahi, an EV Uber driver from Newham, said: “I’m seeing more and more drivers change to electric vehicles. But… the number of chargers available on the street needs to keep up.” Newham mayor Rokhsana Fiaz said: “We know that residents want to do their part and many are changing over to electric vehicles, and the infrastructure is needed to ensure they can make that change and contribute to lower emissions.”
