Changes to Islington Council’s Electric Vehicle Charging Network

Islington Council is working with network operators to install hundreds of new charging points to encourage residents, businesses and visitors to swap to electric vehicles (EV) to cut pollution. By reducing vehicle emissions, we will create a cleaner, greener, and healthier borough and help achieve our ambition of a net zero carbon Islington by 2030.

Some of these charging points are run by the council and were first introduced as a trial in 2008. However, many of these have become unreliable due to their age and now need replacing.

To make it easier to charge a vehicle, we will be replacing these with brand new charging points which will be much more reliable and will feature real-time status, phone app information and pay-as-you-go options. Changes will be made to the charging points at the following locations:

• Sheringham Road
• Pemberton Gardens
• Alexander Road
• Cahill Street
• Hall Street
• Hemingford Road 
• Pooles Park
• St Johns Grove
• Tufnell Park Road
• Highbury Crescent
• Lever Street

All of these will be operated by Source London except for the two rapid chargers at Sheringham Road and Pemberton Gardens which will be switched over to the BP Pulse network.

Please note that we will no longer be issuing new electric vehicle charging permits for the old network. However, permit holders can still access the network up until their permit expires or new charging points are installed (whichever is the sooner). We will also be issuing refunds to all existing permit holders.

The new charge points are expected to be installed in July 2021. In the meantime, find the location of alterative charging points.

We apologise for any inconvenience these changes may cause.

For more information about the changes, please contact EVcharging@islington.gov.uk. 

FAQs

Why is the council disbanding its charging points?

Many of these older charging points are becoming less reliable and are not straightforward to fix since they are no longer manufactured. The existing charging points also cannot be accessed by people who are working, studying or visiting the borough. In addition, the council’s EV charging network is operating at a loss and it is not financially viable for the council to continue to run its network of charging points.

What other charging networks can I use in the meantime?

The following companies operate on-street charging networks in Islington:

• Ubitricity
• Source London
• ESB
• BP Pulse

There are also other charging points available on private property such as supermarkets and petrol stations.

Will I still need an electric vehicle charging permit to access the replacement charging points?

No. Any person will be able to use the replacement charging points and no special permit is required.

How much will the new charging points cost?

The prices for the Source London network and BP Pulse network can be found here:

• Source London
• BP Pulse

Can I get a refund on my existing EVCP permit?

We will be issuing refunds for the time remaining on all electric vehicle charging permits as of 27th November 2020. We will be contacting all permit holders in due course with details of the refund.

You can still access the network up until your permit expires or new charging points are installed (whichever is the sooner). If you still want to use the network beyond your permit’s expiry date, you will be able to renew it for a limited time.

Will the council be carrying out public consultation?

The council undertook public consultation on the changes occurring at each site from 23 February to 23 March 2021.