The rest of the UK should take a leaf out of Scotland’s book to accelerate the decarbonisation of the transport sector, industry experts said today.
The Scottish Government this week published its Draft Implementation Plan outlining how it plans to support the delivery of approximately 24,000 additional public electric vehicle (EV) charge points by 2030.
The draft plan sets out 15 actions to achieve the growth necessary in the public charging infrastructure in Scotland and deliver the country’s vision for public EV charging.
The Scottish Government says delivering the additional public EV charge points will require leadership and collective action from a range of organisations that share responsibility for EV charging, including businesses investing in EV charging, energy network operators and Government. Increased private investment is one of five key themes highlighted in the plan.
Scotland is already ahead of the game in terms of EV charging with more public charge points per 100,000 people than any UK region outside of London. Over a quarter of those charge points are rapid or ultra rapid.
Stuart Tolley, GEO Director at charge point expert Virta, said: “Scotland has a strong track record when it comes to being at the centre of tackling climate change, and its stance on EV charging is testament to this. The rest of the UK should really sit up and take notice.
“But although Scotland is ahead of the game, much more needs to be done.
“Transport is responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions, and the switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles is a tangible measure which can have an immediate impact. But to achieve the idea of eMobility, it must be made easy, cost effective and accessible for all. That means more investment in infrastructure.
“Not only do private businesses hold the key to this, but those that ignore the opportunity could miss out.
“With a growing number of EV drivers on the roads, consumers are more and more likely to choose where to spend their money based on where they can charge their car.
“For more than 80% of EV drivers globally, EV charging has an impact when deciding where to shop. Equally, eight out of 10 hotel guests say EV charging has a direct impact on whether or not they book a room.
“EV charging is becoming an expectation at amenities, attractions and hotels and this represents a tremendous opportunity for businesses to get in at the ground level.”
Virta, which operates in the UK and across 35 countries with more than 500,000 charging points, is a member of ChargeUK, the voice of the UK’s EV charging infrastructure industry.
Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK said: “The Transport for Scotland implementation plan acknowledges that for the rollout to go further and faster, we need the support of DNOs and local authorities and we are looking forward to working with the Scottish Government to deliver this.”