Scotland charges ahead with EVs 19 | 12 | 2017

    ONE OF SCOTLAND’S top four cities has been held up as an example to the rest of the country of how an integrated automotive electric charging system can work. Dundee has been named Scotland’s top city for electric transport. (Related: Scotland faces 2032 petrol/diesel cut-off)

    The city’s electric vehicle charging points are the most used in all of Scotland, with a total of 76 charge points used at least once in 2017, according to new figures.

    It’s also worth highlighting that over the same period, 11% of the points have not been used at all.

    In the past, Dundee has been commended for leading the way in environmentally-friendly travel; Dundee City Council has more electric cars in its fleet than any other local authority in the country. It’s also estimated that around 10% of all of Dundee’s taxis are electrically-powered.

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    “I’m so proud that Dundee is so far ahead in this field,” Lynne Short, City development convener, said. “There has been a big push both politically and by council officers to achieve this.

    “Council staff have really gone above and beyond their usual duties and have worked so hard. We are now getting e-mails from other local authorities in Scotland who want to emulate what we have done.”

    Over the whole of Scotland, the use of electric vehicle charge points has increased by 43% in a year, according to the figures released as part of RAC Foundation analysis of data collected by the ChargePlace Scotland network.

    Eight of the top 10 charge points — including the top three — were in Dundee.

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    The bulk of the charge points in the ChargePlace Scotland network are publicly accessible, though some are located on private commercial premises and will have limited, if any, public availability.

    “Scotland may be on the cusp of a motoring revolution,” Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said, “but step-changes in electric vehicle technology must be matched by equally big strides in recharging infrastructure.

    “It is pleasing to see the use rapid chargers are getting. But the stubbornly high number of charge points that get little or no use shows that we still need to think not just about the total amount of charging infrastructure but what type it is and where it is located.”

    Related: New record for EV and plug-in sales

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    Jim McGill

     

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