Image: Merton Council
Merton Council has already installed more than 250 new on-street lamp post charge points for electric vehicles this year, with more to follow over the coming weeks.
The installations are being carried out in partnership with char.gy, and once all are complete, will triple the number of public charge points in Merton from 259 at the start of January 2023 to 789.
They are being installed thanks to £753,000 in funding from the Government’s On-street Residential Charging Scheme, supplemented by a £251,000 investment from char.gy.
Merton Council says the new partnership with char.gy will improve local air quality and make electric vehicle (EV) ownership practical for residents, especially for those without off-street parking.
It is also a key part of the borough’s progression to being a net zero borough by 2050.
The deployment covers nearly all homes without driveways and gives a total of 78,000 Merton homes at least one charge point within a two-minute walk of their front door.
Installation includes at least six accessible chargers which can be used by residents who have a disabled parking bay on their street.
The project will provide the local authority with a revenue stream from charging services, with all maintenance and operation costs covered by char.gy.
Councillor Stephen Alambritis, Merton Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “At Merton Council, we are committed to making it easy and accessible for people across the borough to access EV charging near their homes and where they work.
“This installation is a significant step towards providing the on-street access to EV charging points needed in Merton. We are especially pleased that by using the lamppost chargers, we have been able to make EV charging more accessible for residents with a disability.
“Our ambition is to make Merton one of the best places in London to rent, own, or share an electric vehicle – this is crucial to our efforts to reduce emissions in the borough and clean up the air we all breathe.”
13 April 2023