14 electric car charge points 'not sufficient'

THE lack of charging points for electric vehicles around the country came under fire today.

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show there are just 14 charging points in Scotland.

Aberdeen is leading the way with eight facilities, according to the Freedom of Information figures. Dumfries and Galloway has five and West Lothian has one.

The figures also show that Dumfries and Galloway has five council facilities, Aberdeen has three and Glasgow has two. Shetland, West Lothian and East Ayrshire all have one council facility each.

Lib Dem transport spokeswoman Alison McInnes said: "I want to see other local authorities following Aberdeen City's lead and embracing new green technology."

A spokeswoman for national body Transport Scotland said the country has established world-leading targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. "That's why the Scottish Government announced 4.3 million of funding this summer to encourage the use of low-carbon vehicles by Scotland's public services, as well as the installation of charging points," she said.

Transport Scotland is also leading a Scottish bid to become part of the UK Government's 30 million "Plugged-In Places" initiative, which provides match funding for the installation of charging points for electric vehicles. The Scottish bid will be targeted on Central and Southern Scotland.