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London mayor should back road pricing plan with EV investment, says Addison Lee Mark Bursa Addison Lee has called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to back up his plans to charge drivers on a penceper-mile basis with greater investment in electric vehicle infrastructure – and to clarify whether strict new proposed measures were designed to cut pollution or congestion. Mayor Khan is proposing a new charging scheme to replace both Congestion Charge and ULEZ, under which drivers of “all but the cleanest vehicles” will initially be charged a daily fee of up to £2, with a pay-permile system introduced further in the future. A recent report commissioned by City Hall found that a 27% reduction in London car traffic was required by 2030 to meet net-zero targets. Addison Lee CEO Liam Griffin said he supported that ambition, but disagreed with the Mayor’s approach. “The current approach focuses on removing vehicles from London’s roads by increasing taxes on road use,” he said. “However, to truly remove pollution from the capital’s air the main focus should be supporting drivers to switch to full electric vehicles as soon as possible. We are doing our bit by electrifying our entire
fleet by 2023 – which will remove an estimated 20,000 tonnes of CO2 from London’s roads each year. We call on the Mayor to be clearer on whether his aim is to remove pollution or congestion.” Griffin continued: “We urgently need an EV charging infrastructure revolution to ensure that fleets and private vehicle owners can shift to fully electric vehicles as soon as possible. We are encouraging
the Mayor to start talking to fleet operators and professional drivers to fully understand the importance of a more comprehensive rollout of EV infrastructure.” The RAC also criticised the plan, calling it “poorly timed”, and stating that electric vehicles were still “too expensive for most people” and the proposed scheme charges would impact carers, tradespeople and nighttime economy staff. Nicholas Lyes,
Shell opens first all-electric charging station at West London location Shell has opened its first EV charging hub in the UK. At the former fuel station in Fulham, London, petrol and diesel pumps have been replaced with rapid charge points. This is the first time Shell has converted one of its existing sites to cater solely for electric vehicles, and the site is serving as a global pilot scheme for the company. Shell Fulham features nine high-powered, 175kW rapid charge points which can charge most vehicles from 0-80% within 10 minutes, three times faster than more widely used 50kW fast chargers. István Kapitány, Shell’s global executive vice president for mobility, said: “EV drivers are looking for a charging experience that is as fast,
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convenient and comfortable as possible.” He continued: “Shell Fulham joins our growing network of Shell Recharge sites at forecourts and other locations, our Ubitricity on-street charging network, and our Shell Recharge Solutions for homes and businesses as we increasingly help EV drivers to charge wherever they need it. It also gives us all a glimpse into the future of mobility.” UK Transport Minister Trudy Harrison welcomed the move, saying: “With more people making the switch to EVs than ever before, this is exactly the type of facility we need to help make the transition as simple as possible.”
RAC head of roads policy, said: “Our research suggests fewer than a third of drivers in London expect to switch to an electric vehicle within the next five years and, at the same time, the mayor himself cannot commit to a zero-emission TfL bus fleet until 2037. At a time when the basic cost of living for Londoners is soaring, these proposals seem to be poorly timed, so we strongly urge the mayor to think again instead of defaulting to extracting more money from the pockets of London’s drivers.” Khan said he was prepared to act in order to reduce emissions. “We have too often seen measures to tackle air pollution and the climate emergency delayed around the world because it’s viewed as being too hard or politically inconvenient, but I’m not willing to put off action we have the ability to implement here in London,” he said. Road user charging would be a “simple and fair scheme” that could replace existing congestion charge and the Ultra Low Emission Zone, according to the City Hall report. Transport for London and the mayor said there would be a public consultation on the proposals, with the chosen measure potentially implemented by May 2024.
Shell Fulham features a sustainable design including a timber canopy with built-in solar panels, and roof and shop windows that employ double glazing with high insulating properties. Like all of Shell’s EV chargers in the UK, including those at 119 Shell forecourts, the chargers at Shell Fulham run on 100% certified renewable electricity. The hub includes a seating area, free wifi, a Costa Coffee cafe and a Waitrose shop. EV sales in the UK are accelerating rapidly. In December 2021, 27,705 EVs were sold, making up 25.5% of all new registrations that month. Shell has previously stated an ambition to install 50,000 on-street chargers in the UK by 2025 through its Ubitricity division, and in July 2021 it announced that up to 800 Shell electric vehicle charging points would be installed at 100 Waitrose sites across the UK by 2025. Shell plans to expand its EV charging network to more than 5,000 charge points on forecourts and in new locations by 2025.
FEBRUARY 2022
