MAYOR DRAWS UP PLAN FOR ECO-FRIENDLY DRIVING
Filed under: Government News Transport
Boris plugs his new Electric Car Scheme
BORIS JOHNSON is drawing up plans for an electric car hire scheme in London in a bid to make it the "electric capital of Europe".
The Mayor said yesterday that he was looking at a version of an electric car hire network based on the "autolib" scheme planned for Paris in 2010.
It is similar to the French capital's Vélib bike hire scheme and will see cars available for hire from bays around Paris with charging points dotted around the city. Johnson, who has already set plans for a bike hire scheme for London in motion, said he wanted the city to spearhead the revolution in electric cars.
He told the London Assembly that his environment chief was already "on the case" and that his officials were looking at the plans.
Johnson added: "I think this [electric vehicle technology] is something we should be really leading on.
"I think we should be making London the electric capital of Europe, and that's why we are going to be greatly expanding our support for charging points around London. We have been talking to manufacturers about the
possibility about switching to, or indeed creating, electric vehicles in this city."
Johnson said he wanted to see half the 8,000-vehicle fleet run by the Greater London Authority replaced by electric cars as soon as possible. But he warned that the technology was expensive and demand for the vehicles was low.
BRIGHT SPARK I Johnson (inset) wants electric cars for hire in the Capital
MARTIN POPE/CAMERA PRESS
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