Scotland sets aside £20 million for EV funding

The Scottish government has announced a fund of more than £20 million to boost the number of EVs in Scotland. The money will go to several local authorities to help fund charging points as well as new electric vehicles.

The funding will be made available as part of the Switched on Towns and Cities Challenge Fund and the Local Authority Installation Programme, and will initially go to the following five authorities for the 2018/19 period: Dundee City Council, Edinburgh City Council, Falkirk Council, Glasgow City Council and Stirling Council. Each of the entities will receive around £2.5 million to install public charging facilities, as well as support EV acquisition both on a public transport scale, as well as in terms of shared vehicle fleets.

The measures are aimed broadly and will address residential as well as business transportation, as well as providing both private and public charging stations. Speeding up the acceptance and integration of electric vehicles in Scotland is the main objective here, and the multi-pronged approach will likely yield a variety of benefits concerning a variety of electric transportation modes.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said electric vehicles could bring “profound benefits” and outlined the Scottish Government’s climate targets. He further added: “Supporting the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles is integral to Scotland’s sustainable economic growth.”

energyvoice.com, transport.gov.scot, transport.gov.scot (Winners)