Scottish government marks EV charge point milestone

The Scottish government says over 1000 publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charge points have been made available through its ChargePoint Scotland scheme.

They have called it a ‘milestone moment’ for the scheme, which is now one of the most comprehensive EV charging networks in Europe.

It means the average distance between any given location to the nearest public charging point is just 2.78 miles in Scotland — compared to 3.77 miles in England.

ChargePlace Scotland announced earlier this year that 800 more public charging points are planned through the Switched on Towns and Cities Challenge Fund and the Local Authority Installation Programme.

The Scottish Government plan to phase out new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2032, ahead of the UK government’s 2040 target.

Michael Matheson, cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity said: ‘World-class charging infrastructure is critical in developing range confidence and encouraging people to make the switch to electric vehicles.

‘At the same time, the continued development of our infrastructure sends a global message that Scotland is ready for a revolution in e-mobility.

Street art in Glasgow.

‘The uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles is central to our Energy Strategy, our Climate Change Plan and our goal of making Scotland’s air quality the best in Europe.

The Scottish government has made a series of interest-free loans available for people or businesses wanting to buy an EV.

These include:

• Up to £35,000 repayable over a 6 year period are available to consumers resident in Scotland to fund the cost of new electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
• Up to £120,000 (Maximum £35,000 per vehicle) repayable over a 6 year period are available to businesses located in Scotland to fund the cost of new electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and other carbon saving measures.
• Up to £120,000 repayable over a 6 year period are available, to enable owners and operators of hackney cabs to replace cabs that are more than 8 years old with new, efficient models with Euro 6 standard.

A full map of publicly available chargers can be accessed from the ChargePlace Scotland website.

Photo Credit – Pixabay