London Mayor Johnson pledged 25,000 electric car charging points

London Mayor Boris Johnson earlier revealed his plan to turn the UK’s capital city into an ‘electric car capital of Europe’, vowing that each Londoner is within one mile reach from an electric charging point by 2015.

Speaking at the Copenhagen climate conference, Johnson informed fellow policymakers on his plan to build 25,000 electric car charging points in the city, including 500 in London’s main streets, 2,000 in public car parks and 22,500 near workplaces.  He also said that Transport for London will build a one-stop website that will provide electric car owners information on payment options and on accessing charging points across London.

To improve the city’s air quality, the London mayor earlier declared in April the plan to introduce 100,000 electric cars in the capital’s streets, to install charging points across the city and to give incentives to drivers using electric cars. He also emphasized that the use of electric vehicles is one way of cutting harmful greenhouse gas emissions in London.

Johnson as well made clear that the funding support for the project will be coming from the UK government.

In other related news, the EC environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, said on Friday that the UK might face the prospect of a multi-million pound fine because the commissioner rejected the government’s request for an extension on meeting the EU’s target amounts on hazardous airborne particles emitted from vehicles and factories. He further warned that the UK now only has four months to reapply before legal proceedings against the government will start again.