The new Oxford Economics report suggested that Mr Khan’s net zero goal is not achievable until 2050, and warned that removing the most polluting vehicles from London’s roads and boosting the uptake of electric vehicles “will depend on costs, capabilities and convenience”.
The authors warned that Londoners will struggle to move to electric cars quickly because of the cost of living crisis and the lack of charging points.
Mr Holt added: “Your car, once you’ve bought it, will cost you less to run. But if you have to shell out £30,000 and at the moment you can’t get a loan at a cheap rate, there is not a great deal you can do about it.”
The Mayor’s office forecast that London will need between 40,000 and 60,000 public charging points by 2030, but there are currently fewer than 13,000 across the capital.
To reach the target, London will need to install between 450 and 675 additional new chargers per month.
The Government also scrapped its electric car incentive scheme and economists warned that “range anxiety” was putting many drivers off switching to electric vehicles.
According to figures published by NimbleFins, a personal finance website, the average cost of a new electric car is about £50,000, more than double the cost associated with a new petrol or diesel car, and only £2,000 is being offered under the scrappage scheme to make the transition away to a less polluting vehicle.
