From left to right, Cllr Wesley Harcourt, James Everley, Cllr Stephen Cowan and electric car owner Marcela Kelly
New street-light car-charging points, being plugged-in across the borough, are helping Hammersmith & Fulham in its aim to be the greenest borough in the country.
The special sockets, installed by mobile power specialists Ubitricity, are being rolled-out for resident electric car owners – making this the nation's number one charging power-point.
Cllr Stephen Cowan leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council said: “We are determined to be the greenest borough in the country, and with more electric car charging points in H&F than anywhere else, we are really playing our part in cutting fossil fuel emissions.
“These charging points are easy and quick to set-up, cost the borough nothing to install, and may go on to produce steady revenue for the council, while delivering value 'fuel' for the new breed of clean and green vehicles.”
The first of these charging points have been installed in Westcroft Square, Hammersmith, where electric car owners can almost instantly benefit from a fuel source right on their doorstep.
Unlike other charging points, which may require the installation of new street furniture, these use the power source supplied to existing street lights, and therefore require no planning permission.
This means the red tape, that can in some boroughs tie-up installation for up to 34 weeks, takes only a week to sort out, enabling the council to deliver charging points for residents like any other in-demand service.
Government subsidies are available which cover the majority of the costs of installation, and users purchase a charging cable which informs them of usage and costs.
The five charge points in Westcroft Square were all installed in a single day.
Knut Hechtfischer, founder of Ubitricity, said: “These SimpleSockets have been designed to fit into even the smallest residential street lights, delivering electric vehicle charging points right where residents most want to charge, outside their home. Utilising more of what is already there, the humble street light, keeps costs down and allows rapid deployment.
“We're delighted to be working with Hammersmith & Fulham Council to bring charging points to their residents and helping the borough in its aspirations to be as green as possible.”
Westcroft Square resident, and electric car owner Adam Kelly, said: “These charge points are great for me and my family as well as the other residents on the square.
“We’re very pleased with how quickly Hammersmith & Fulham council has been able to provide these new type of charging points.”
Hammersmith & Fulham Council is hoping to install 150 electric vehicle charging points by 2018, giving local people a greater choice of places to top-up their power supply than in any other UK borough.
Find out more about why we support electric vehicles in H&F, and how you can get driving one.
To request an electric vehicle charging point, please complete our online questionnaire.
See what else we're doing to make H&F the greenest borough in the country.
