- Scotland First Minister, John Swinney, has announced a significant expansion to Scotland’s public EV charging infrastructure.
- From an investment worth £6.3 million, around 3,550 public charging points will be installed across the Ayrshire and Glasgow City regions.
- This new addition should help ensure that the UK-wide goal of mandating zero-emission car sales by 2030 remains on track, by giving more options to current and prospective EV drivers – particularly those who can’t charge up at home.
More EV chargers for Scotland
These 3,550 new charging points will add to the existing 6,000 public chargers already online across Scotland, a milestone that was also achieved just recently, according to Zapmap data. This goal of reaching 6,000 public chargers originally had an objective date of 2026, highlighting the swift growth of charging infrastructure deployment for Scotland in particular. Looking towards 2030, the Scottish Government has set a target of an additional 24,000 public chargers by that date. Across the UK, this now means Scotland as a whole already has the highest number of chargers per head, outside of London.
Overall, the Scottish Government has made investments totalling over £65 million on public EV chargers since 2012, with private CPOs taking that total investment figure further.
Scottish First Minster, John Swinney, commented:
“Today’s announcement is clear evidence of our commitment to making sustainable travel accessible for everyone in Scotland. We need to maintain this rapid progress, working in greater partnership with the private sector to accelerate the pace and scale of delivery right across the country. By fast-tracking EV infrastructure, we’re paving the way for a net-zero Scotland while advancing our goal to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
This is a key example of how the Scottish Government is focused on delivering on our key priorities and I am looking forward to hearing from people in Ayr about how we can continue to deliver for them. Connecting with communities across the country enables us to make informed decisions as we strive to create a wealthier, fairer and greener Scotland.”
