Every Londoner will be no more than one mile from an electric car charge point by 2015, London Mayor Boris Johnson has said.

Speaking yesterday at the Copenhagen climate summit, the Mayor revealed detailed plans to deliver a comprehensive network of electric charge points in the capital, supporting the mainstream use of zero carbon-emission electric vehicles. London is leading a coalition of major cities working to use their collective clout to create massive global electric vehicle markets through joint procurement commitments.

The charge point plan is the first milestone in the Mayor’s over-arching vision to make London the electric capital of Europe. The strategy shows how by 2015 in London, 22,500 charge points will be at workplaces, with 500 on street and 2,000 in public car parks. A strategic network of publicly accessible faster charge points will be installed as part of this coverage at key locations on the road network and motorway service stations.

To further boost consumer confidence, the Mayor announced Transport for London is working with boroughs to launch in 2010 a one stop website and membership scheme for electric vehicle drivers. Currently electric car drivers have to register in every borough they charge up in, whereas this will provide a single point of information and payment option to access charge points across the capital.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “A golden era of clean, green electric motoring is upon us and London is well ahead of cities around the globe in preparing the right conditions for this.

“There is an urgent need to tackle the risk of serious and irreversible climate change, yet this does not need to be about hair shirt abstinence. I want to pursue radical yet practical steps to cut energy waste. Electric vehicles are a clear example of how technology can provide the solution to the biggest challenge of our generation.”

He further announced that the Greater London Authority (GLA) is set to publish a detailed procurement framework to buy 1,000 electric vehicles for the GLA group fleet by 2015.

Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London, said: “This plan provides the road map to switching on an electric vehicle revolution in London.

“Not only do electric vehicles produce 50 per cent less carbon emissions than their diesel counterparts, they are also cheaper to run. Increasing the numbers of electric vehicle charging points all over the Capital will provide Londoners with the option to use a more sustainable form of private transport that is also more economical to operate.”

Much of the delivery of these plans depends on securing funding from the central Government. The entire 25,000 charging points, conversion of the Greater London Authority fleet and other initiatives to kick-start London’s electric vehicle revolution is expected to cost £60million – of which the Mayor has pledged to fund a third of this.

However Transport for London is currently working with a number of private and public sector organisations to pull together a consortium to apply for Government infrastructure funding, available from next financial year.

Boris Johnson expects that electric cars will deliver considerable benefits to the environment by improving air quality, cutting emissions and reducing noise pollution. Sixty-nine per cent of harmful particulate emissions in London come from road transport whereas electric cars have zero tailpipe emissions.

The electric vehicle infrastructure strategy is available in draft form (available here: www.london.gov.uk/electricvehicles/) inviting comments from interested parties by 26 February 2010.