Scotland leads the charge in electric cars

Scotland is streets ahead of many parts of the UK for charging an electric car, figures show.

Department for Transport data shows that per 100,000 people, there are more charging points north of the border than anywhere outside London.

The best performing regions are London with 49 charging points per 100,000, outer London (36), Scotland (32), and the north east of England (28).

Scotland has 1,743 devices in total, beaten only by London with 4,360, the south east of England (1,966) and outer London (1,909).

Glasgow tops the rankings north of the border, with 140 charging points.

But the Highlands is ahead of most of Scotland’s major cities with 125 devices.

Rounding out the top five are South Lanarkshire with 120, Edinburgh (112) and Dundee (101).

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has written to local authorities urging them to take advantage of £5 million in funding available to help build up charging infrastructure.

He said: “Your postcode should play no part in how easy it is to use an electric car, and I’m determined electric vehicles become the new normal for drivers.

“It’s good news there are now more charging locations than petrol stations, but the clear gaps in provision are disappointing. I urge local councils across Scotland to take advantage of all the Government support on offer to help ensure drivers in their area don’t miss out.

“To help increase the provision of charging locations, the Government is offering grants for the installation of charge points on the street, in work and at home.

“We are also offering grants to lower the upfront cost of these cars so everyone is able to experience the benefits.”

Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said the data “confirms the positive impact Scottish ministers’ investment of over £30 million in funding to local authorities has had in this area to support our commitments to tackle the climate emergency and improve air quality”.

He said: “The UK Government making £5 million available to local authorities should be welcomed but is less than half of the over £10 million we are investing this year alone to grow, develop and support the network of publicly available chargepoints in Scotland.

“The data also shows Scotland is by a considerable margin leading the rest of the United Kingdom in supporting the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles by providing vehicle charging infrastructure.

“Drivers in Scotland enjoy greater access to rapid chargepoints, and outside of London, Scotland provides more chargepoints per plug-in vehicle than the rest of the UK.”