Transport for London (TfL) has added four Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars into its fleet as part of Mayor Boris Johnson’s plans to make London the electric car capital of Europe.
The four new Mitsubishi i-MiEVs, part funded by the Government’s Low Carbon Procurement Partnership (LCVPP), are the first step to achieving the 1,000 electric cars that the Mayor aims to bring into the city’s fleet over the next few years.
The new electric cars, with specially designed livery to distinguish them from traditional petrol and diesel cars, will be used by TfL to ensure that roadworks comply with its permit scheme to keep traffic moving.
By the end of this year, TfL will have up to 10 electric cars in its fleet.
Increasing the number of fleet cars is one element of the Mayor’s plans to boost electric car numbers to 100,000 as soon as possible.
Over the coming year, 1,600 charge points will be installed across the Capital with numbers rising to 7,500 by 2013 and 25,000 points will be in place by 2015.
By then, with 2,500 charge points installed in publicly accessible areas, on average no Londoner will be further than a mile from any charge point.
The number of electric cars in mainstream use is forecast to significantly increase in the coming years as many of the leading car manufacturers are planning to launch new electric car models in the UK.
