The rollout of electric vehicle charging points in Scotland is now second only to London, according to the most recent statistics.
The figures reveal there are nearly twice as many rapid chargers per every 100,000 people in Scotland, as compared to the rest of the UK.
Across regular charging devices, there are 47 for every 100,000 people in Scotland, compared with an average of 36 for the rest of the country. London has 83 for every 100,000.
The figures are contained in the latest update from the Department of Transport (DfT) and its Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
As March 2021, over 30,000 licensed vehicles in Scotland were classed as Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs), with the majority being either a pure battery or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
The Scottish government has invested over £45m to develop the ChargePlace Scotland Network, which provides over 1,900 public charge points across Scotland.
It is also taking a number of approaches to further grow and develop public EV charging infrastructure.
One such initiative is Project PACE, which has received £5.3m in Scottish government funding.
Andy Robinson, head of fleets, infrastructure and low carbon consumers at Transport Scotland, said: “Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, it’s encouraging to see we’re leading the way in charger provision outside of London, and taking forward exemplar initiatives such as project PACE.
“We’re looking at ways of extending this approach with our partners, as we seek to further accelerate the growth of public EV charging infrastructure in Scotland.
“As we transition to a net-zero economy and tackle the climate emergency it’s crucial we encourage people to consider walking, wheeling and cycling as the default choice of travel.
“But we also know that some households will need to retain access to a car.
“And to support that we need to provide good quality, user-friendly infrastructure across all communities in Scotland, ensuring no one misses out on the benefits the switch to zero emission brings.
“The charging network, EV loans and public sector leadership are all helping us towards that.”
So far, over £120m has been provided through the Low Carbon Transport Loan to help people and businesses make the switch to ultra-low emission vehicles.
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