Siemens has unveiled the UK’s first ‘electric avenue’, which is over half a mile in length and has been fully converted to cater for electric vehicle (EV) charging.
Sutherland Avenue in Westminster has seen the installation of 24 lamposts EV charging points to offer residents and visitors the opportunity to charge their cars while street parked. The company says it has plans to expand to adjoining roads in the coming weeks.
The project has been completed in collaboration with Westminster City Council, which has set a target of having 1,000 charge points installed by 2020.
The launch follows research conducted by Siemens showing 36% of British motorists planned to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle as their next car, with 40% saying that a lack of charging points stopped them from doing so earlier.
Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure, said: “We know that half of London’s air pollution is caused by road transport and Westminster is a particularly busy area.
“While we cannot solve the challenge of air quality overnight, ‘Electric Avenue W9’ is an important showcase of what’s possible using existing city infrastructure. It illustrates how residential streets will look in the near future, and accelerates the shift to zero emission vehicles.”
Andrew Smith, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Environment & Highways, said: “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.
“‘Electric Avenue, W9’ 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.”
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