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Forum » Eco Car Forums » Events & Locations

Westminster charges ahead with electric car points

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Written on: 06. 01. 08 [23:37]
ecoadmin Administrator Topic creator registered since: 20.07.2007 Posts: 368	Does anyone know how new or old this announcement is? I've found it on the web. It might be as old as 1 year...Are these charging stations now available? Westminster charges ahead with electric car points Westminster City Council has launched the UK’s only free on-street charging points for electric vehicles in a pioneering move aimed at boosting environmentally friendly travel. The exciting pilot project, if successful, will lead to more charging points across the City making it ever more practical and convenient to drive electric cars. Cllr Alan Bradley, Cabinet Member for Street Environment, said: "Putting free charging points on the street where people need them most is a simple concept which we hope will help galvanise broader appeal for electric car use. There have been technical hurdles to overcome, but we’re confident the future lies in offering alternatives to petrol and diesel vehicles. "Electric cars are ideally suited to City driving and we hope in years to come we will see more and more people using them to travel around the City. London, and particularly Westminster, has well documented problems with air quality and electric cars are an excellent way to start dealing with that." Westminster has the highest levels of air pollution in the United Kingdom, due to the volume and type of road traffic travelling into and through the City on a daily basis. Electric vehicles, which have seen a recent boom in demand, produce zero tailpipe emissions. 750 G-Wiz electric cars have so far been sold in London - 250 in the last six months alone. The new Daimler Chrysler Smart EV is expected to increase interest in electric cars even further when it launches next February. Next year will also see the launch of the new Vectrix MAXI-scooter, and the new Mega City, which was launched at the British Motor Show by the Nice Car Company this summer, will be hitting the streets in January. Electric vehicles are ideal for city driving as although they have a lower top speed than their equivalent petrol or diesel counterparts, they have comparable or better acceleration. On the whole electric vehicles need less servicing and maintenance. There are currently 48 free car charging points in 13 council-run Masterpark car parks across the City of Westminster. For the first time though the two new charging points will be placed at on street parking bays in Wellington St and Southampton St in Covent Garden. Westminster City Council was one of the first local authorities in the UK to introduce a range of financial incentives for electric vehicle owners, including free parking at meters and discounted resident parking. Stefania Bobowski, Infrastructure Programme Manager at Energy Saving Trust, said: "Developing the infrastructure for alternatively fuelled vehicles is a vital step in encouraging consumers to make more environmentally friendly transport choices. We are proud to support such initiatives through our Infrastructure Grant Programme and applaud the steps that Westminster are taking in joining the drive to make alternative vehicles more accessible." For more information please call Charles Begley at Westminster City Council’s Communications Department on 020 7641 3041. -Ends- Notes for Editors: The charging points are partly funded by TfL and the Energy Saving Trust. The posts will be available for free use for registered members of Westminster’s Electric Eco-Mark. To become a member you must either work or live in Westminster. Westminster introduced its first charging point at Harley Street Car Park , in the West End, in 1999. The car park now boasts 12 charging points. Westminster City Council was one of the first councils in the UK to introduce a range of financial incentives for electric vehicle owners, including free parking at meters and discounted resident parking. Electric cars are exempt from road tax and the Congestion Charge. Exemption from the London Congestion Charge (go in and out of the congestion zone as often as you like without having to pay) is worth over £2,000 p.a.. Electric vehicles qualify for Group 1 insurance (fully comprehensive in London just £300 p.a. average) and benefit from 100% Year 1 tax write down for business. They also have the lowest rate of company car tax at just 9%. Other contact details: Energy Saving Trust, Media Hotline 020 7227 0398 GoinGreen, Rossana Tich PR Tel: 020 8985 8935 mob: 07973 452615 Nice Car Company, Julian Wilford mob:07977 466305 Daimler Chrysler, Jeremy Simpson Tel:01604 845747 mob:07775 55 6431 Vectrix UK Ltd, Annette Harris 01962 777600 Driveelectric Ltd, Jonathan Shine 0870 744 3006 mob 0796 111 6732 TfL, press office 0845 604 4141 ecocarforum.com - Green Car Network Community for sustainable transport
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Written on: 15. 01. 08 [15:45]
ecoadmin Administrator Topic creator registered since: 20.07.2007 Posts: 368	According the latest infos found on the web, those charging points have been installed: Details: http://www.westminster.gov.uk/carparks/electric.cfm -------------------- Free electric car charging points are being installed across central London. Westminster council is putting in 10 roadside posts following a trial of two in Covent Garden. About another 50 will be installed in 13 of its car parks. Alan Bradley, Westminster' s cabinet member for street environment, said: "We are leading the way in encouraging greener forms of car travel which will help minimise our impact on the environment. We want to make it as practical and convenient as possible for people to use electric cars, so having charging points easily available on streets is an essential move." There are more than 900 owners of a G-Wiz electric car in London. The Nice car company sells the electric MEGA City and the three-wheel ZAP Xebra was launched this month. Each charging post installed by Westminster costs £3,000, funded by Transport for London, the Energy Savings Trust and EDF Energy. Users have to register with the council and pay a one-off fee to cover administration costs after which charging is free. ecocarforum.com - Green Car Network Community for sustainable transport
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