Siemens has worked with ubitricity and Westminster City Council to convert 24 lampposts into EV charge points using existing city infrastructure.
Siemens has unveiled the UK’s first street that has been fully converted for charging electric vehicles (EV). The project, in collaboration with ubitricity and Westminster City Council, has converted 24 lampposts along Sutherland Avenue in London into EV charge points using existing city infrastructure. A further two adjoining roads are due to be completed in the coming weeks.
The introduction follows research conducted by Siemens showing more than a third (36 per cent) of British motorists planned to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle as their next car, with two in five people saying that a lack of charging points stopped them from doing so sooner. This makes it the biggest factor deterring motorists from purchasing an electric or hybrid vehicle.
Dubbed “Electric Avenue, W9”, according to Siemens, it showcases a shift in attitudes towards EVs that the UK capital is experiencing. Data shows 80 per cent of motorists in central London believe it is “very important” that air quality is improved, and 83 per cent have become more concerned about their carbon footprint in the past five years. Westminster has seen a 40 per cent growth in EVs charged in the borough during 2019.