10% of cars must be electric by 2020, report says

AT LEAST one in ten vehicles on Scotland's roads must be electric by 2020 to achieve climate change targets, according to a new environmental charity report.

The WWF Scotland study said that electric vehicles (EVs) have an important role to play in helping to achieve the Scottish Government's 2020 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 42 per cent.

It said that by then at least 290,000 petrol-driven cars will have to be replaced with EVs, while the projected increase in car use must also be reversed.

If the expected increase in car use is not tackled, the total number of EVs required to meet the 2020 target shoots up to over 1.5 million by the same date, according to the report.

The environmental group called on the Scottish Government to show leadership by setting out its strategy for delivering this vision in its forthcoming Low Carbon Vehicle Action Plan.

Dr Sam Gardner, climate change policy officer at WWF Scotland, said: "If the transport sector is to play its full part in helping to meet our climate change targets there needs to be a real surge in the number of electric vehicles on Scotland's roads.

"To help kick-start this transformation the Scottish Government must set out a plan to support the roll-out of electric vehicles in Scotland, and as a first step commit to ensuring that the public sector fleet is 100 per cent electric by 2020."

He added that government leadership was "essential" to drive the market and make electric vehicles a common feature of the roads.

"In these times of tight public spending government action is required to realise the jobs potential of this new industry," he said.

The report, Watt Car?: The role of electric vehicles in Scotland's low carbon future, due to be published today, calculated that the increased electricity demand from a new fleet of EVs was relatively low. This electricity should be integrated into a "smart energy" system, the report argued.

Dr Gardner added: "The electric car is no longer some far flung future fantasy; it is appearing on forecourts around the world and will be parked in our garages and driveways in the next few years.

Pilot programmes with EVs have been taking place across the UK. In Scotland, Glasgow City Council has joined forces with partners including ScottishPower, Allied Vehicles and Axeon Batteries to trial 40 EVs and supporting infrastructure in 2010.

Paul Nelson, managing director of Glasgow firm Allied Vehicles, said: "Responding to the climate change agenda presents both a major challenge and an exciting opportunity for the automotive sector."

Allied Vehicles has already converted the Peugeot Expert Teepee into an electric car, and is now working to transform the Peugeot Partner saloon.

Gordon McGregor, energy and environment director at ScottishPower, said the growth of electric vehicles will play a key role in reduction of emissions.

"The WWF report highlights the need for strong collaboration between government and a wide range of industries in order for all of the hurdles to be overcome.

"Good progress is being made, and trial projects like the one we are working on in Glasgow with Allied Vehicles will help to take forward the momentum required for a widespread roll-out of electric vehicles."

And Lawrence Berns, chief executive of Dundee firm Axeon, the leading producer of lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles in Europe, urged the Scottish Government to support the growing industry.

Meanwhile, Peter Singleton from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, highlighted that moving away from cars dependent on fossil fuels would improve air quality.

"Sepa would be keen to support further research into the use of alternative fuels looking at public transport and heavy and light goods vehicles," he said.

A Scottish Government spokesman said they had "challenging" targets of 100 per cent use of low carbon public sector vehicles by 2020 and 95 per cent of all new vehicles in Scotland to be low carbon by the same date. "This 2020 target will not only ensure that the public sector is stepping up to the plate on its transport emissions, but also help create a market that can drive further development of low carbon technology," he said.