London is to become the “electric car capital of the world”, according to the city’s mayor Boris Johnson. He aims to achieve this by encouraging the use of 100,000 EVs in the capital “as soon as possible” and by introducing 25,000 e-car charging points in the city by 2015.

To help deliver this plan, Johnson plans to create a Dedicated Electric Vehicle Centre of Excellence (DEVCoE) within the Greater London Authority. The GLA will install and fund 2,500 charging points and the remainder will be run by London boroughs and other bodies partnering with the GLA in the scheme.The DEVCoE will liaise with other member cities of the Climate Leadership Group (known as the C40 group) – such as Los Angeles, Toronto, Delhi, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Beijing – that are also working on similar developments for EV infrastructures.

The GLA-funded charging system will be split into three categories: Slow, Fast, and Rapid charge points. Around 70 slow-charge points (13A, 240V) will be installed in London Underground car parks and another 84 in National Rail car parks and long-stay public car parks; these points will be able to charge a car over several hours. The aim is to have 2,000 of these in place by 2015. Around 50 fast-charge points – 32A, 240V three-phase supplies able to charge an EV in around 30 minutes – will be distributed around London by 2012. The capabilities of rapid-charge points – 200A, 500V three-phase supplies able to charge up a Tesla S in five minutes – are still being investigated.How is the target figure of 100,000 EVs to be achieved? The GLA fleet will include 1,000 EVs by 2015, while the remaining 99,000 will roll out over the next six years as the result of corporate and private users being encouraged to exchange their petrol-run vehicles for e-cars and electric trucks. Incentives to move this along will include free parking and exemption from the congestion charge, as well as the £5,000 government rebate for e-cars beginning in 2011.

However there are dissenting voices in the electric car debate, with some scientists suggesting the e-car is being overhyped. Richard Pike, head of the Royal Chemistry Society, said, “The myths of the electric car centre on its energy efficiency, reduced carbon emissions and low operating costs…Unfortunately, none of these are true.”  Furthermore, a report by analyst Frost and Sullivan says that for the widespread adoption of EVs to succeed, at least four charging points per vehicle must be made available – which means London alone would need 250,000 charge points by 2015 rather than the 25,000 foreseen by the GLA.Full details of the scheme, including who will pay for the charging posts and what exactly will be the role of GLA’s partners, are to be disclosed in November.

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