Transport for London (TfL) has awarded TotalEnergies, following a competitive procurement process, a contract to deliver up to 43 rapid or ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) chargers across London.
The charging infrastructure will allow drivers to recharge within 30 minutes and is expected to be located near key routes used for essential road journeys typically made by high mileage, commercial users – including taxis and freight – as well as near high streets and local amenities. Many of the new bays will be located in south London, including Bromley, Lewisham and Sutton, increasing the opportunity for EV drivers in the area to rapidly charge their electric vehicles quickly and conveniently.
This is the second contract awarded to TotalEnergies to deliver new EV charging points, supporting the growing demand for EV infrastructure across London. Together, the two contracts with TotalEnergies build on work already underway across the whole of the capital to make it easier for those who need to drive in London to switch to cleaner electric alternatives.
This includes TfL’s existing work with EV charge point operator, Zest, to bring forward new rapid and ultra-rapid EV charging bays across TfL’s estate as part of the wider EV infrastructure delivery programme. Zest has already delivered around 40 on-street rapid or ultra-rapid EV charging bays for TfL, which are already proving popular with drivers, with more still to come.
These bays are designed to improve the customer experience – for example, including longer cables to make it easier for the electric vehicle to be charged. A further batch of locations across the Transport for London Road Network is going to market within the next few months, demonstrating how TfL is working with the GLA Group and other public sector partners to unlock public land and work with the private sector to help bring the infrastructure needed to keep London at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution.
Across London, there are 258,000 plug-in electric cars and vans already registered in the capital. London is leading the way in the UK in supporting electric vehicle (EV) uptake, with more than 27,980 public charging points, around a third of the UK’s provision. More than 1,550 of these points offer rapid or ultra-rapid charging.
As part of London’s EV Infrastructure Strategy – 2025 Update, TfL’s modelling predicted that if current demand continues, London will need between 43,000 – 51,000 charge points, of which up to 3,500 are rapid charge points, by 2030.As part of TfL’s EV Infrastructure Delivery Programme, these new EV charging bays will contribute to meeting that demand and further expanding London’s charging network.
David Rowe, Director of Investment Planning at TfL, said:
“We’re pleased to be playing our part in expanding the delivery of rapid and ultra-rapid charging bays across the capital. By unlocking our land to bring new EV bays forward, we’re working with both TotalEnergies and Zest to provide the infrastructure that Londoners need to have the confidence to transition to electric vehicles. This will then help clean up London’s air and tackle climate change, meaning that together, we’re helping London to become a greener city for everyone.”
Nicolas Garnier, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Charging Solutions UK, said:
“We are pleased to extend our partnership with TfL for this ambitious project and to support the continued development of the capital’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure with the installation of additional 100kW and 200kW chargers. Through this collaboration, we will leverage our operational expertise as a charge point operator to support the expansion of a reliable, accessible and high‑quality charging network for drivers across London.”
Places for London – TfL’s wholly owned property company – has also partnered with EV charging hub operator Fastned to develop several new EV ultra-rapid charging hubs across its estate. Work is underway on an EV charging hub at TfL’s Hatton Cross station car park, the first of 25 hubs targeted to be delivered by 2030. These will improve access to charging infrastructure for a growing number of EV drivers across London. The public/private joint venture will complement TfL’s previous work to support EV hubs, such as Glass Yard in Woolwich and Baynard House in the City of London, to ensure there is a geographical spread of opportunities for people to charge their EVs across London.
(Picture: TotalEnergies)
