Mayor's electric dream

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has declared that he "wants London to be the electric car capital of Europe." He was speaking as Jon Goodman, MD of Peugeot UK, presented him with an all-electric Peugeot iOn.

The iOn, which is one of the first zero-emission tailpipe emissions cars to go on general sale, had just finished a whirlwind tour of major Peugeot dealerships in the UK.

Johnson continued: “We’re going to see electric cars playing an increasing role in pushing down pollution from transport in London as more drivers start to own these vehicles. This is why we are introducing the first city-wide electric vehicle scheme, Source London, in spring this year to provide more infrastructure and support.”

Source London plans to have at least 1,300 publicly accessible charging points in the capital by the end of 2013. The government is providing £250 million funding for electric vehicles in the form of a £5,000 grant to buyers and funds to support charging infrastructure around the country.

London’s unique transport issues make electric motoring a particularly compelling proposition and Jon Goodman believes that electric cars are ideal for the capital, saying: “On top of the environmental benefits, the iOn needs no costly fuel to operate; it is exempt from the Congestion Charge and is free to park in some London boroughs.”