{"id":486046,"date":"2025-10-09T16:07:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/486046\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T16:07:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:07:11","slug":"leading-the-charge-electric-london-the-standard-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/486046\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading the Charge: Electric London |The Standard podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, London\u2019s Cleaner Vehicle Discount has allowed electric vehicles to travel through the congestion zone for free.<\/p>\n

But proposed changes from Transport to London mean that from Christmas Day this year, drivers of electric vehicles will no longer be exempt from paying the city\u2019s congestion charge.<\/p>\n

Drivers of electric vehicles will have to pay up to \u00a313.50 a day to enter central London, and investment in charging infrastructure could also be put at risk, just as the city needs to accelerate to meet its 2030 net zero goals.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the Electric London coalition, following The Standard\u2019s Leading the Charge campaign<\/a>, is calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to reverse the decision to scrap the electric vehicles\u2019 (EVs) exemption from the congestion charge.<\/p>\n

Over the course of three special episodes, we\u2019ll be exploring what it all means for the air we breathe, the city\u2019s electric vehicle infrastructure and the people most affected.<\/p>\n

Electric London \u2013 Clean Air at a Crossroads<\/p>\n

London has made huge strides in cleaning up its air \u2013 with nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter levels dropping sharply thanks to bold policies, investment in public transport, and the rise of electric vehicles. <\/p>\n

But proposed changes to the Cleaner Vehicle Discount could see EV drivers paying the congestion charge from Christmas Day, raising questions about the city\u2019s next steps.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why the Electric London coalition, following The Standard\u2019s Leading the Charge<\/strong> campaign, is calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to reverse the decision to scrap EVs\u2019 exemption.<\/p>\n

In this ‘Clean Air’ episode, The Standard’s Business Editor, Jonathan Prynn, speaks with Georgina McGivern and Valeria Pensabene from the London Clean Air Initiative, and Nick Smith from the Clean Air Fund, to explore what this shift could mean for businesses, residents, and the future of London\u2019s air quality.<\/p>\n

Powering Up: Investment and Infrastructure<\/p>\n

London is rapidly expanding its electric vehicle infrastructure, with over 21,000 charging points across the city \u2013 nearly a third of the UK\u2019s total. <\/p>\n

But to meet its 2030 net zero targets, London will need tens of thousands more, with significant investment required across all boroughs. <\/p>\n

Upcoming changes to the Cleaner Vehicle Discount, which would end EVs\u2019 exemption from the congestion charge, risk slowing that progress.<\/p>\n

The Electric London coalition, following The Standard\u2019s Leading the Charge<\/strong> campaign, is calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan to protect London\u2019s EV uptake and ongoing infrastructure growth.<\/p>\n

In this second special episode focusing on investment and infrastructure, The Standard\u2019s Business Editor, Jonathan Prynn, <\/strong>speaks with Matt Croucher, Chief Commercial Officer at ChargePoint operator Believ, <\/strong>and Judy O\u2019Keefe, Director of Fleet at Openreach, <\/strong>who is overseeing one of the UK\u2019s largest commercial EV transitions. <\/p>\n

They explore what it takes to electrify London at scale, the challenges facing fleet operators and charging providers, and what needs to happen to keep the city on track for a cleaner, electric future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, London\u2019s Cleaner Vehicle Discount has allowed electric vehicles to travel through the congestion zone for free.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":486047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,393,160778,4884,257,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-486046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-evening-standard-podcast","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-london","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115345073404974395","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}