Sadiq Khan pledged to speed the drive towards cleaner forms of transport in London as his fact-finding tour of the United States came to an end.
The Mayor, in Los Angeles to learn how one of the world’s most car-dominated cities was cutting vehicle emissions ahead of the 2028 Olympics, was shown the “future of the school bus”, a pioneering zero-emission vehicle.
He also saw Urb-E electric cargo bikes with enough pedal power to haul 360kg loads — equivalent to the weight of five adults — enabling them to replace trucks and be used for “last mile” deliveries from depots to doorsteps.
Mr Khan said: “I’m leaving with lots of ideas. I’m a firm believer in stealing things well rather than inventing them badly. Plagiarism is the best form of flattery.”
There are 800 zero emission buses on London’s roads, making it the largest zero emission fleet in western Europe.
LA has a goal of making all its buses zero emission by 2030, the most ambitious target of any large American city.
It came as London passed the milestone of having more than 10,000 electric vehicle charging points — a third of the total across the country.
City Hall said London had 111 charging points per 100,000 population — more than double the UK average of 45.
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Khan visited Universal Studios in Hollywood to announce an initiative to get hundreds of young Londoners apprenticeships in the film industry.
But the five-day trip sparked criticism from his own party and a showdown with Home Secretary Priti Patel over his moves to investigate the potential decriminalisation of cannabis.
She said: “Sadiq Khan’s time would be better spent focusing on knife and drug crime in London.”
