Ross Lydall interviews Seb Dance, the Deputy Mayor for Transport, at the London EV Show at Excel to learn more about TfL's plans to build the hubs more ultra-rapid charging hubs for electric vehicles
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00:00 We're at the EV, London EV Show showcasing the next generation of electric vehicles and
00:05 today we're announcing that Places for London, which is the property arm for TFL, will be
00:10 announcing a tender for five new ultra-rapid charging hubs, which means that people will
00:19 be able to come and charge their vehicle in a very short space of time, anything from
00:23 5, 10, 15 minutes for a full charge.
00:26 And that means that we are significantly upgrading the infrastructure in the capital, where we
00:30 already have far more chargers than anywhere else in the country.
00:33 In fact, we have a third of the total number of chargers in the country, but we want to
00:37 go that step further and bring in these ultra-rapid charging hubs.
00:39 But of course, there's no trade-off between fares and having ultra-rapid charging hubs.
00:44 And really what we have to recognise is that the car is a fundamental part of our lives.
00:49 We'll always have cars and they perform a very necessary task.
00:53 So what we need to do is ensure that we clean up the air so that the cars that we do have
00:58 are not contributing to the enormous toxic air problem that we have in the city, where
01:02 some 4,000 people die prematurely every year because of the impact of emissions.
01:08 And that's why it's so exciting that we are also announcing or releasing a report that
01:12 says that the uptake of electric vehicles in London has been enormous.
01:17 So from 1.3% of all vehicles in 2018, it's now nearly a quarter of all vehicles in 2022,
01:23 some 23%.
01:25 So clearly the demand is there.
01:27 Of course, like everything, it involves a partnership between the public, private sector
01:31 and of course government as well and the energy providers.
01:34 It's always important that we work as much as we can to reduce the cost of energy.
01:39 And that of course requires cooperation as well with central government and the providers
01:43 as well.
01:44 So that's part of the tendering process, of course, that Places for London is announcing.
01:49 And the winner of course will be the one that provides the best facilities and of course
01:53 best value for people.
01:54 Of course, there will always be some income in order to maintain the sites and there'll
01:59 be some income of course for the provider because there has to be obviously an incentive
02:03 for any provider to come in and operate these hubs.
02:08 But of course the main stay of income for TfL remains the fare box and of course we
02:15 are uniquely dependent on fares in TfL, unlike other transport authorities in the world.
02:20 And there is certainly a conversation to be had about the funding model, but perhaps that's
02:23 a conversation for another day with government.
02:24 Thank you.
02:25 Thank you.
02:25 Thank you.
02:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]