London mayor partners with retail, energy firms to launch electric vehicle taskforce
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a new taskforce dedicated to boosting the infrastructure needed to increase the take-up of electric vehicles across the capital.
Joining the taskforce are 16 organizations in the energy, transport, and retail industries, including Shell UK, UK Power Networks, RAC Foundation, and British Retail Consortium.
Partnering with the private sector, the Mayor believes, is vital to facilitate major expansion in charging expansion, helping businesses, taxi drivers, and Londoners switch to electric and achieve London’s ambition of becoming a zero-emission city.
“We are installing rapid charging points across London, only licensing zero emission capable taxis and by 2020 all single decker buses will be zero emission,” said Christina Calderato, Transport for London's Head of Delivery Planning.
There are currently 128 rapid charging points across the capital. A £42 million fund is also allotted to encourage the owners of the oldest diesel black cabs to retire them from the capital’s fleet.
