13.7.2012 Source London expands with POLAR

Charge point provider Chargemaster and Transport for London (TfL), operators of the Source London scheme, have announced a partnership which will increase the number of charge points for electric vehicles in London.

Chargemaster operate of a privately funded charging point network called POLAR – which already has hundreds of points installed in 30 towns and cities across the UK, with the plan to cover the largest 100 towns in the next year.

Source London, which was set up by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in May 2011 has already installed more than 700 points in the London area. POLAR will be adding to this with a further 200 points jointly branded Source London and POLAR this year.

The first units installed under this partnership are located at the Waitrose store, located in the North End Road in Fulham and these units went live yesterday. The POLAR charging points are fast charge units with Type 2 Mennekes connections, allowing cars to charge at over twice the normal speed.

In addition, from August this year, all POLAR members will be enrolled in the Source London scheme, providing access to all Source London charging points across the city. In total, POLAR members now have access to over 1,500 charging points across the country.

The 200 new charge points are being installed in key locations hosted by Chargemaster's partners including Waitrose and NCP car parks and many strategic locations such as railway stations and shopping centres where EV drivers generally need charging facilities.

Chargemaster has developed, and markets, an advanced range of charging points that will charge any of the 29 new electric car models that are being launched by major motor manufacturers over the next 18 months. Chargemaster range provides a comprehensive portfolio of charging points from domestic units that are ideal for charging an EV at home to rapid charge units for public locations that can charge an electric car in around 30 minutes.

Nick Fairholme, TfL Director responsible for Source London, said: "We are pleased to be able, through this partnership with Chargemaster, to provide Londoners with more opportunities to charge their vehicles. The new sites will help ensure we meet our target of installing 1,300 charge points in the capital by 2013. POLAR and Source London have common objectives in lowering emissions in London through the widespread adoption of electric vehicles."

To see the location and details of all the UK's electric vehicle charging points, come and see Next Green Car's Zap-Map, with a total of over 2,500 points mapped out.