More than £3 million has been awarded to a group of local authorities in Scotland to support their partnership with the private sector in expanding public electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The north-west Scotland EV Infrastructure Fund project, led by the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS), will see EV provisions rolled out to Argyll and Bute, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, with Argyll and Bute council alone identifying over 80 potential sites for new electric chargers in the area.
Orkney Islands Council currently operates more than 30 public EV charging points across the islands, with around the same number for Shetland and Argyll and Bute, and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, with the fresh funding promising to scale up their provision.
“HITRANS and partner Councils are delighted to secure this multi-year funding for the expansion of the electric vehicle charging network across Argyll and Bute and the Northern and Western Isles,” said Ranald Robertson, HITRANS partnership director.
“Collaborating across the region to share our resource and challenges has highlighted some unique opportunities that we are keen to explore in parallel, such as the abundant renewable energy generation in the area.
“Our aim is to grow a regional charging network that is financially self-sustaining and locally powered as much as possible. This investment will help support a just transition to a more environmentally sustainable, reliable and affordable transport network.”
This latest award comes as part of the Scottish Government’s £30 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, which has provided over £65 million in public EV charging since 2011.
Thanks to such investment, Scotland now claims one of the most comprehensive public charging networks in the UK, with over 7,000 public charge points, with the Government’s target for 6,000 public charge points being met in October 2024, two years ahead of schedule.
In June, Irish electric vehicle charging firm EasyGo was awarded a twenty-year, £300 million contract to provide EV charging infrastructure for the north of Scotland.
The deal, which covers the Highland, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray Council areas, is expected to see 570 new charging points installed across northern Scotland by 2028, more than doubling the existing EV infrastructure.
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The Scottish Government said that it is ‘determined’ to continue growing the EV network in Scotland’s northern regions, leveraging private sector investment alongside significant public funding.
“In addition to the public funding from EVIF, we anticipate the private sector investing at least an additional £30 million of its own capital, meaning public funding should be prioritised for those areas of Scotland less likely to benefit from stand-alone private sector investment in public EV charging infrastructure,” said Fiona Hyslop, secretary for transport.
“This includes rural and island communities like those which will be served by this north-west Scotland project led by HITRANS. I look forward to hearing how the EVIF project helps EV drivers across this region, and all of Scotland, over the coming months and years.”
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