Residents in Westminster can now access lamppost electric vehicle charging posts at the UK’s first ‘Electric Avenue’.

‘Electric Avenue’ features 24 lampposts converted into EV charge points using existing city infrastructure

Sutherland Avenue, which is over half a mile in length, features 24 lampposts converted into EV charge points using existing city infrastructure, with a further two adjoining roads due to be completed in the coming weeks.

The installations have been carried out by Siemens and Ubitricity, building on the firms’ existing completion of more than 1,300 charge point installations covering the breadth of the city.

Westminster provides a prime location for the Electric Avenue as it has twice the number of locally registered EVs than any other inner London borough, and the most among all the other London boroughs; it’s seen a 40% growth in EVs charged in the borough during 2019.

“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,” said Cedrik Neike, member of the managing board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure.

Research conducted by Siemens has shown that more than a third (36%) of British motorists planned to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle as their next car, with two in five people (40%) saying that a lack of charging points stopped them from doing so sooner.

And research published earlier this week has found 64% of current EV owners do the majority of their charging overnight.