Barnet council in London has installed 40 electric car charging points in lamp posts. A second set of 40 CityEV charge points will be added in the autumn.
On top of the converted lamp posts, 30 stand-alone chargers will also be installed. Fully 22 of these will be outside two new leisure centres in Victoria Recreation Ground, while eight will be in car parks throughout the Barnet borough.
How long will it take to charge my car?
The chargers have a 3.5kw capacit, which means you gain just over 12 miles of charge per hour. Leave your plugged in between 8pm and 6am and you’d accumulate more than 100 miles of range.
These facilities aren’t perfect for a quick top-up, but an hour at the gym will likely give you back the range you lost getting there.
How much will it cost to use CityEV charge point?
Charging costs from 25p per hour, or about 2p a mile.
Worth it? Well, that means 300 miles costs £6. In a normal car, £6 gets you around one and a quarter gallons. Assuming your car does 40 miles per gallon, that’s 50 miles of driving.
Not included, of course, is the cost of parking, which is independent of the charging facility.
How will I pay to charge my EV?
The charge points accept contactless payment via the ‘EVopencard’. That means, in theory, quick and hassle-free payments, like at a petrol station.
“We expect the popularity of fully electric and hybrid cars to grow and grow in the coming years,” said Dean Cohen, chairman of Barnet council environment committee.
“Electric vehicles are cheaper, cleaner and greener than conventional cars, and an increasingly convenient way of getting from A to B. We are happy to support their development, improving air quality in our borough and giving our residents more options for getting about in an eco-friendly way.”