A London street has seen all its lamp posts converted to EV charging points. Sutherland Avenue in W9 (dubbed ‘Electric Avenue’) is the first road of its kind in the UK

The project was a collaboration between Ubitricity and Westminster City Council. It saw 24 lamp posts converted to charging points.

A further two adjoining roads are due to be finished in the coming weeks. Siemens and Ubitricity have now completed more than 1,300 installations across the city.

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“Lamp post charging gives people without driveways a very convenient, low cost, renewable, energy-friendly way to charge their EVs,” said Daniel Bentham, MD of Ubitricity.

“Cars spend 95 percent of their lives idle, so it makes sense to charge them while the driver is doing something else, like sleeping or working. Our technology is designed to keep installation and maintenance costs low, which translates to long-term low costs for EV drivers and councils.”

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At present, Westminster City Council has more EV plug-in points than any other UK local authority. Electric Avenue is just part of its 296-strong lamp post network. Over the next 12 months, it plans to have 1,000 charge points in the area.

By contrast, public perception on available charge points is not favourable. Motorists believe there are between 100 and 200 EV charging points in London. That’s less than 10 percent of the installations Siemens alone has made. A third believe there are no charging points near their home or where they work.

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“In a city that suffers from some of the worst air pollution in the country, we need to be supporting the change to green technology as much as we can,” said Andrew Smith of Westminster City Council.

“Electric Avenue gives us a glimpse into the future of streets in Westminster, where we hope to provide the infrastructure needed for our residents to make the switch to cleaner, greener transport.”

A new electric car manufacturer has revealed its first concept. The Apex AP-0 previews a production model, due in 2022. And while it’s said to perform like a hypercar, Apex will price it like a supercar (from £150,000).

The performance figures sound mightily impressive. So impressive, in fact, that some are difficult to believe…

Apex AP-0: key stats of the ‘super EV’

Price: £150,000

Power: 650hp

0-62mph: 2.3 seconds

Top speed: 190mph

Kerb weight: 1,200kg

Battery/range: 90kW/320 miles

Charging time: 80 percent in 15 minutes (CCS), full charge in eight hours (Type 2)

The Apex is just a concept at present, but you don’t give out numbers without some hope of substantiating them. Perhaps most impressive is that kerb weight. Battery electric vehicles are notoriously heavy, so 1,200kg (a bit less than a typical lightweight petrol supercar) seems incredible.

The weight savings are partly due to the AP-0’s monocoque carbon chassis, with modular spaceframes and a central spine. Of that 1,200kg, a total of 550kg is the battery. The body panels wrap the chassis, although not in its entirety.

Apex AP-0: design

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Speaking of those body panels, it’s quite a striking looking thing, isn’t it? It’s all angles and jagged lines, which Apex says ‘evokes its powerful performance attributes and emphasises the lightweight structure of the car’.

They also work together with the flat underfloor and ground-effect aero for downforce. To that end, it’s just 95mm off the ground, negating the need for a rear spoiler and reducing drag.

The front apes that of the Ferrari F12 TdF with a Jack Nicholson Joker smile, flanked by futuristic LED lights. The mixture of materials is McLaren-esque, with white body panels shrink-wrapping the carbon construction. Carbon is everywhere, of course, including the wheels.

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Unique to the AP-0 is the rear fin, sprouting from the teardrop cockpit and leading down into the brake lights. In conclusion, it’s about as striking (and as fast, incidentally) as a McLaren P1, but for one-sixth of the price. The price is difficult to believe, too.

Like many supercars, and indeed F1 racers, the AP-0 uses pushrod suspension. Automatic ride-height adjustment allows the car to be set in modes that best suit the driving situation.

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Increased connectivity

Apex says that its definition of connectivity is “about linking the car with those who have a true passion for driving”. So there is a sophisticated LIDAR sensor system, able to create high-res 3D imagery of the car’s surroundings. It’s effectively able to identify obstacles, accurate to a few centimetres, up to 100m away.

On the inside, there’s a holographic AR display, and an AR Race Instructor, giving you a game-like experience when on-track. Driver and passenger sit just 180mm above the ground in carbon seats.

Overall? It’s like a BAC Mono, Tesla Model S and McLaren P1 had a love child, with fast, futuristic, surprisingly lightweight and low-priced results.

When looking at a Pininfarina Battista, one has to consider whether a Bugatti Chiron would better suit Sir’s taste. When looking at the AP-0, it’s a choice between this, a 911 Turbo or an Audi R8.

All of a sudden, the EV seems like a very interesting and appealing alternative. We look forward to learning more, as the AP-0’s 2022 launch date draws nearer.