A new rapid charging hub has gone live at Glass Yard in Woolwich, allowing drivers to charge their EVs in 20-30 minutes.

The site at Glass Yard in Woolwich is the second of five rapid charging hubs being opened by Transport for London

It’s the second of five rapid charging hubs to be opened by Transport for London (TfL), supporting drivers with the switch to cleaner vehicles ahead of the ULEZ expansion on October.

Developed in partnership with ESB EV Solutions – which is operating the site – and Siemens Mobility Limited, the hub at Glass Yard in south London features eight 50kW charge points.

The site has been chosen as it will be right on the edge of the boundary for the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) when the scheme expands on 25 October 2021; increasing to 18 times the size of the current zone.

It joins TfL’s existing and inaugural rapid charging hub in east London at Stratford International while a site at Baynard House in the City of London, the central location, is currently being constructed. Sites are also being planned for north and west London; ensuring each of the capital’s five sub-regions will have a hub.

While there are now more than 7,000 charging points within the M25, an increase of more than 2,000 over the last year, a huge rise in demand is expected over the next few years as the take up of electric vehicles increases. The Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Delivery Plan estimates that by 2025, London may need up to 4,000 rapid charging points and up to 48,000 residential chargers as more and more people and businesses move to electric vehicles. A new strategy will be published later this year, addressing future forecasts.

Alex Williams, TfL’s director of city planning, said: “It’s essential that we increase the supply of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles as we support the shift to these vehicles to clean up London’s air and decarbonise transport in the city. We have seen an increase of more than 2,000 charging points in the capital over the last year and these new hubs are a key part of that expansion.”

He added: “These hubs will be spread across the capital and complement the dense charging network we already have, meaning range anxiety is not something drivers have to worry about in London. We know there is going to be huge growth in the number of electric vehicles over the next few years. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy published in the next few months will set out in detail how we will cater for this demand.”