Scottish EV charging gets £20m boost

Scottish EV charging gets £20m boost

By
Zapmap
Published

The Scottish Government has announced that more than £20 million in funding will be used to help increase the number of electric vehicles in the country.

Local authorities will be able to access money that allows them to invest in EV charge points, as well as adding electric vehicles to their fleet.

The funding see more than 800 new charge points added to the country’s infrastructure, with £20.6 million provided by the Switched on Towns and Cities Challenge Fund and Local Authority Installation Programme.

Five local authorities are to receive the first round of funding, totalling £12.1 million for the installation of 500 charge points. Those receiving funds are Dundee City Council, Edinburgh City Council, Falkirk Council, Glasgow City Council, and Stirling Council.

The remaining money will be awarded to 31 local authorities,for the installation of a further 300 charge points.

Scotland’s EV charging infrastructure is already good, particularly looking at the nation’s size and population compared with others in Europe.

The ChargePlace Scotland network offers charge points across the country, on top of those points installed by businesses and networks.

Charging hubs are increasing in number, with sites already established in Dundee, and a new 26 point hub being completed in Falkirk – which will be powered by renewable energy from a solar canopy, supported with battery storage.

A new hub will be added in Dundee, close to the A90, and more than 100 new charging bays are set to be added in Edinburgh.

Zap-Map’s data shows that there are almost 3,100 connectors available in Scotland, on 1,600 devices, at almost 1,100 locations. Of those connectors, more than 900 are on rapid chargers.

ChargePlace Scotland is bay far the most dominant network in the country, representing 79% of the total public EV charge point connectors available in Scotland, and sited at more than 800 locations.



Photo courtesy of Go Ultra Low