Swinney announces investment in electric vehicle charging network in Scotland

Ahead of his first Travelling Cabinet since becoming First Minister, John Swinney will today (Monday) announce plans to expand the electric vehicle (EV) charging network across Ayrshire and the Glasgow City Region. A £6.3 million 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 said:

"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.”

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said:

“In 2023, we published our Vision for public EV charging infrastructure, highlighting the key role the private sector will play in delivering Scotland's future EV charging requirements for public charging.

“Through our £30 million 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.”

Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Region Cabinet Chair and Leader of Glasgow City Council said:

“Electric vehicles are to 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 said:

“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.

“A continued collaborative approach between the public sector and private industry is required to tackle and deliver the roadmap for net zero transport, and IONITY will continue to play a key role in this.

“We have already injected £20 million investment in Scotland by the end of 2025, with a further £20 million committed into Scotland by 2028 – delivering 100% green electricity through our chargers from Scotland's main cities to the West Coast and the Highlands.

“Not only will we enable electric transit right across Scotland, but our charging hub site partners, such as food and beverage retailers, retail parks and hospitality venues will directly benefit. The IONITY hubs are introducing those businesses – and wider local economies – to new revenue streams and additional footfall, bringing entire communities with us into the era of electric vehicles.”

Zapmap COO and Co-founder Melanie Shufflebotham said: 

“Reaching the milestone of 6,000 public chargers across Scotland is a significant achievement, with the Scottish government showing great commitment to the EV sector with the forward-looking investment in the ChargePlace Scotland network over the last decade. This has then been supplemented with other private networks and investment across the country.

“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.

“It's exciting to see charging hubs being established across the country, from Inverness and Aberdeen in the north to around the urban centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh. This infrastructure not only supports Scottish EV drivers in their daily travels but also enables visitors to explore the stunning Scottish landscape with confidence on longer journeys.”

Background

Since 2011 the Scottish Government has invested over £65 million 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. We also benefit from more rapid public EV charge points than any other UK region,

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 we 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 to support the installation of 18,861 domestic charge points and £10.8 million to support 1,432 higher powered workplace charge points – all complementing the public network.

Map of electric charging points for electric cars UK: Zapmap (zap-map.com)