Richmond and Wandsworth Councils have appointed Ubitricity to roll out a network of 1,050 on-street charge points.

The 5kW charge points will be installed directly into existing street lampposts by Ubitricity

The chargers will be split equally between the two boroughs and support their goals of being carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon zero by 2050.

The 5kW charge points will be installed directly into existing street lampposts by Ubitricity, part of Shell, and drivers will be able to pay using their debit or credit card, or via the Shell Recharge app.

The rollout complements the existing charging infrastructure within Richmond and Wandsworth and is planned for residential communities where the majority of residents park on streets with no access to off-street parking. The councils have asked residents to suggest installation locations.

Ubitricity runs a network of more than 7,000 public charge points, making it the largest charging network according to Zapmap.

Cllr Alexander Ehmann, chair of Richmond Council’s Transport and Air Quality Committee, said: “Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular, with nearly two in every five new car sales being electric, but access to charging can be a barrier. Our residents often rely on cars due to the limited public transport network in Southwest London, so by expanding the charging network we hope that even more people will choose to go electric and help improve the air quality in our borough.”

Residents can try out EVs using the Zipcar Flex car club operating in both boroughs and offering electric options. Both councils are also supporting drivers who are having to scrap their car to comply with the ULEZ expansion; in Richmond, the council is offering financial support for drivers to try car clubs through its Good Move Scheme. Wandsworth meanwhile is offering a £1,000 ULEZ grant to eligible residents on top of the Mayor of London’s ULEZ scrappage scheme.

The chargers are part-funded by a grant from OZEV’s On-street Residential Charge point Scheme (ORCS), which aims to improve the availability of local EV charging infrastructure for residents without off-street parking. Through ORCS funding, local authorities can receive a grant covering up to 60% of residential on-street charge point procurement and installation costs.

Toby Butler, UK managing director at Ubitricity, said: “By expanding their EV charge point network to provide convenient facilities for both residents and businesses using electricity from 100% renewable sources, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are making the transition to EV easier and helping give drivers the confidence to make the switch.”