A 6.3 million pounds investment from the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund will lead to the introduction of approximately 3,550 new public EV charge points across the region.
The First Minister has also welcomed confirmation from charge point data provider ZapMap that Scotland has already reached its target of installing more than 6,000 public EV charge points, two years ahead of the 2026 target.
Cabinet Secretaries will visit businesses and projects across South Ayrshire to highlight their four priorities: eradicating child poverty, building prosperity, protecting the planet and improving public services.
The First Minister and Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop will visit an electric vehicle charging hub where they will meet representatives from EV infrastructure company IONITY.
The Cabinet will then go on to meet at Ayr Town Hall, followed by a public discussion.
The First Minister says: “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.”
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop states: “Through our 30 million pounds EV Infrastructure Fund we are continuing to support public EV charging; providing Local Authorities with funding to enable them to work in partnership with the private sector to continue to expand public EV charging across Scotland.”
“This approach is paying dividends – ensuring faster delivery and greater reliability of public charge points across the country. I’m pleased to welcome the matched investment from businesses such as IONITY which is helping to scale up the provision of public EV charging across Scotland,” she adds.
Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Region Cabinet Chair and Leader of Glasgow City Council, indicates: “Electric vehicles are key to reducing carbon emissions and the expanded charging network this funding will deliver can persuade more citizens across the City Region to switch to electric. And in creating the biggest network of charge points across Scotland’s most populous communities we can make a real impact on our national climate targets.”
IONITY Country (UK & Ireland) Manager Andreas Atkins says: “For Scotland to have reached its ambitious target of delivering 6,000 public chargers well ahead of its 2026 target is a huge achievement, especially in such a difficult economic environment at present in the UK.”
“We have already injected 20 million pounds investment in Scotland by the end of 2025, with a further 20 million pounds committed into Scotland by 2028 – delivering 100% green electricity through our chargers from Scotland’s main cities to the West Coast and the Highlands.”
Zapmap COO and Co-founder Melanie Shufflebotham states: “Since the target of 6,000 public EV charge points by 2026 was announced by the Scottish Government in June 2023, charge point infrastructure has grown at an impressive rate – up over 49% from 4,023 in June 2023.”
“This number covers many different charging use cases across diverse locations, from low powered on-street chargers to destination chargers at scenic spots to 150kW+ charging hubs,” she adds.
Background
Since 2011 the Scottish Government has invested over 65 million pounds in public EV charging.
Charge point data provider ZapMap has confirmed Scotland had 6,007 public charge points as of 31 October, delivered through a combination of public and increasing private sector investment.
As a direct result, per head of population, Scotland has more public EV charge points than any other part of the UK, except London.
The Scottish public EV charging Vision was published in June 2023 and sets out our ambition to see a comprehensive, convenient and efficient network.
The Scottish Government has announced a commitment to enabling approximately 24,000 additional public charge points by 2030, and they expect the majority of these to be delivered by the private sector.
Public charge points are only one part of the overall charging mix.
The Scottish Government has also provided 5.7 million pounds to support the installation of 18,861 domestic charge points and 10.8 million pounds to support 1,432 higher powered workplace charge points – all complementing the public network.
