Transport for London (TfL) has selected IER, a subsidiary of the France-based Bolloré Group, take over the management of Source London, the capital’s EV charging network. IER will be responsible for all back office functions, working from its UK offices, and plans to work with new and existing Source London partners to expand the network to 6,000 charge points by 2018.

Source London, which was launched by the Mayor of London in May 2011, is a consortium of over 60 public and private partners, led by TfL. The network now includes nearly 1,400 charge points across 300 sites including supermarkets, shopping centres, council and private car parks, hospitals and on the street.

IER has extensive experience operating EV schemes – it’s involved with the Parisian car-sharing service Autolib, which was launched in 2011. IER currently has over 30,000 subscribers.

Nick Fairholme, TfL Director responsible for Source London, said, “This is good news for the future of electric vehicles in London, as it not only protects the legacy of Source London but will also see the scheme expanded. The Mayor and TfL worked hard to ‘pump prime’ the market and establish an extensive charging infrastructure that puts London at the forefront of this green technology and ensures EV drivers are never far from a charge point wherever they are in the city. It’s now time for a private sector operator to drive the scheme forward, working under normal market conditions and clearly demonstrating electric vehicles are here to stay.”

Vincent Bolloré, President of Bolloré Group said, “Our group is fully committed to sustainable development and is investing heavily in all relevant technologies with the objective of becoming a worldwide leader in clean energy storage, smart grid technologies and E-mobility solutions.”

Gilles Alix, CEO of Bolloré Group and Chairman of IER, added, “We have been impressed by the Mayor of London’s strategy and vision to provide London with infrastructure to support the rapid growth of electric vehicles.  In our position as a major investor in green technology solutions, IER is ideally placed to continue to expand London’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure.”

Source: Transport for London