How millions of pounds of private sector cash is needed to build Scotland's public EV charging network

Building a public EV charging network fit for the future in Scotland will only be achieved with private investment, transport bosses warn.

Transport Scotland says “the scale of our ambition to decarbonise transport cannot be met alone”, warning the 24,000 public EV charging points that will be built by 2030 will “largely be met by the private sector”.

This comes after a YouGov survey found EV (electric vehicle) drivers feel the cost of the public charging network is “out of control”, suggesting the expense and inaccessibility of public charging is why so few Scots own an EV.

The UK Government has committed to bringing forward a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 to 2030, which could remove all fossil fuel cars from Scottish roads by 2045.

However, as of March this year fewer than 1.4 per cent of all privately registered cars in Scotland were fully electric. 

Despite this the Scottish Government has invested over £65 million since 2011 in over 5,800 public EV charging points.

It has also provided £5.7m to help install 18,861 domestic charging points and £10.8m on 1,432 workplace charging points.

However, they say Scotland cannot rely on government cash alone to build all the EV charging points it needs.

A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “To reduce transport emissions and protect the climate, we are committed to phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.

“We can only do this if people have confidence in the availability of the charging infrastructure - and that can only be achieved through private investment in the network.”

In 2024 private sector investment in the public EV charging network is expected to be between £40m and £55m.

The government says it has been offering local authorities millions to help encourage private investment in the charging network.

The spokesman added: “We recently announced £7m across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Highland, Moray and Dundee councils to encourage greater private investment in the EV charging network.

“In line with our vision for the public EV charging network, significant private investment will be required to grow the network at pace and scale.

“This funding is targeted in a way which draws in private sector investment, with a particular focus on more rural areas of Scotland, which is reflected in the financial awards.”

They continued: “This can only happen, however, if the conditions exist to support this investment - which is exactly what our EV infrastructure fund is working to achieve and with a particular focus on rural and island communities, and people without access to domestic charging.”

Directly addressing concerns the public charging network is too expensive, Transport Scotland said tariffs are determined by whoever owns the charging point, but adds “greater commercial involvement underpinned by fair, transparent pricing” will help make the network more reliable.

The Scottish Government adds prices need to be “sustainable and fair” for drivers.

Scotland has more EV charging points per head of population than anywhere else in the UK outside of London - approximately 26.1 per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 18.5.