Final funding round for Scottish EV charging scheme

The Scottish government has awarded £6.3m to eight local authorities to help expand public charging in the south of Scotland. This is the final round of funding from the £30m Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.

The South of Scotland EV Infrastructure Fund project covers eight local authorities – Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, and West Lothian – and is being led by the City of Edinburgh council. The project will use government funds to install up to 1,770 public charging points in these areas through public-private partnerships.

The project will be supported by SEStran, a regional transport partnership in Scotland. No technical details have been shared on types of chargers that will be prioritised (for example, whether there will be an emphasis on overnight charging or fast charging), or which companies will be involved in their delivery. However, as Transport Scotland has stated that it currently already has 7,100 public charge points, it’s clear that it could significantly increase the availability of EV charging in the country.

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, said that the funding will help target more rural or undeserved areas. “Our ambition to enable the deliver of 24,000 additional public charge points by 2030 cannot be met without significant backing from the private sector,” she said. “The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund was designed to encourage this investment, meaning public funding can be targeted for areas which are less likely to benefit from standalone private investment.”

Cllr Jenny Linehan, Executive Member for Environment & Transport at the Scottish Borders Council, added: “This investment marks a significant step forward for the Scottish Borders and the wider region, enabling us to deliver on our aspirations of an expanded EV charging network across rural areas which is both more accessible and sustainable. In addition, our regional partners have published the Public EV Expansion Plan, which sets out a clear and ambitious roadmap for equitable EV charging infrastructure development. This plan signals to the market our commitment to fostering both public and private sector investment in EV charging infrastructure through to 2030.”

transport.gov.scot