Scotland is surging ahead with promoting electric vehicles by promising to install a public charging post at least every 80km on the country’s trunk road network.

The Scottish Government has also said it will provide drivers of low carbon cars with home charging points for free. Charging posts will also be provided at work places, ferry terminals to the islands, public car parks and leisure centres as part of a £2.6M investment.

Scotland aims to decarbonise road transport by 2050, in part through the widespread use of green energy vehicles. And by next year a network of chargers will be in place around Glasgow for use by officials and visitors to the Commonwealth Games.

Locations of all the charging points are listed on a new website called ChargePlace Scotland, which also offers details of financial help available to buy an electric vehicle.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “The move to electric vehicles is good for our environment and gives drivers cheaper running costs. You can get from Edinburgh to Glasgow on a single charge for around £1.50 and right now electric vehicles are exempt from road tax.

“I look forward to the day when the only vehicles on Scotland’s roads are electric vehicles.”

Over the past two years the Scottish Government says it has invested over £8M in electric vehicles and infrastructure. There are currently over 80 publicly available charge posts north of the border and a further 200 posts owned by local authorities.

Photo credit: Miki Yoshito

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