Places for London selects Fastned as EV charging partner

Places for London - Transport for London's (TfL) property company - has selected Fastned as its preferred partner for its new joint venture  to help develop several new electric vehicle ultra-rapid charging hubs across its estate.

The joint venture, which will help support the Mayor of London's commitment to achieve Net Zero carbon by 2030, aims to deliver new dedicated off-street urban charging hubs that will be able to simultaneously charge multiple vehicles at high speeds.

The sites will also help support placemaking in the local areas by including retail and other facilities, such as toilets on the larger sites where possible. Now the preferred bidder has been selected, Places for London is requesting approval from TfL’s Land and Property Committee to form the joint venture at the earliest opportunity. This is expected to occur later this year, with the first site delivered in 2026.

The joint venture intends to be at the forefront of developments in accessibility and safety, with the new charging infrastructure looking to meet or exceed the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 and deliver best practices from the British Standards Institution’s guidance on accessible charging infrastructure.

In parallel with the procurement process, Places for London have been developing the pipeline of potential EV charging hub sites, to help ensure that the joint venture can start delivering charging hubs as quickly as possible.

Across the life of the joint venture, Places for London hopes to deliver at least 25 hubs across its estate, with the potential to increase this up to 65 hubs as market demand and opportunities arise.

Mark Farrow, Director of Strategy and Planning at Places for London, said: "We are excited to have now selected Fastned as our preferred partner for our new joint venture to bring forward a number of new electric vehicle charging hubs. These hubs will help encourage high-mileage businesses such as taxi, private hire and commercial drivers, across London, to confidently make the transition to electric vehicles.

"These new charging hubs, the first of which will open in 2026, will make it even easier for those who need to rapidly charge their electric vehicles, with several bays at each location, helping London to further work towards the Mayor of London's commitment to achieving Net Zero carbon by 2030."

Tom Hurst, UK Country Director for Fastned, said: “Londoners deserve a top-notch EV charging network for all those daily trips and longer journeys. That’s why we’re excited and proud to be bringing more ultra-rapid charging to key locations across the city – all helping to ramp up London’s transition to electric.”