Don't let London slip a gear in its electric vehicle uptake

A new report urges TfL to extend the Cleaner Vehicle Discount for EV drivers — and make going electric more affordable by closing the 'EV inequality gap'.

- By Jonathan Prynn

London has, literally, led the charge on conversion to electric vehicles (EVs).

There are more EVs per head in the capital than elsewhere in the UK, and indeed most other major cities around the world, and the infrastructure to support them is being rapidly rolled out.

This historic shift, currently running at about 3,000 EV registrations a month, is playing a vital role in cleaning up London's once unpleasantly polluted air and will help the capital make progress towards, and hopefully hit, the Mayor's 2030 net zero target.

By last year, EVs accounted for more than a third of new cars being registered in the capital, and more than 5.4 per cent of cars on the road. London also hosts 30 per cent of the UK's public charging points, while 61 per cent of its drivers own or are considering an EV for their next car — compared to a UK average of 38 per cent.

But despite all these successes, there are reasons to worry. And it is not just that the pace of EV uptake in London has started to slow. There are also signs that many Londoners are being left behind in the EV revolution, with ownership concentrated in the wealthier communities of the capital.

A report this month from analysts and policy consultants Stonehaven looks at the reasons why the uptake of EV might be slowing, particularly among less affluent drivers. It also makes three key recommendations - measures it hopes can re-energise London's enthusiasm for private electric transport.

Crucially the report, authored by a team led by former Department for Transport official Michael Dnes, urges Transport for London (TfL) to extend what it describes as "a uniquely powerful incentive for EV adoption in London, the Cleaner Vehicle Discount (CVD)".