The Scottish government has awarded £6.3 million to eight local authorities to expand public charging infrastructure in the south of the country, marking the final round of allocations from its £30 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.
The South of Scotland EV Infrastructure Fund project will be led by the City of Edinburgh Council and involve Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian. The funding will be used to install up to 1,770 charge points through public-private partnerships, supported by SEStran, a regional transport body.
Scotland currently has about 7,100 public charge points, according to Transport Scotland. The latest investment is expected to improve coverage, particularly in rural and underserved areas. “Our ambition to enable the delivery of 24,000 additional public charge points by 2030 cannot be met without significant backing from the private sector,” said Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport. “The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund was designed to encourage this investment, meaning public funding can be targeted for areas which are less likely to benefit from standalone private investment.”
Jenny Linehan, Executive Member for Environment & Transport at the Scottish Borders Council, said the project would deliver a “significant step forward” for local communities. “This investment marks a significant step forward for the Scottish Borders and the wider region, enabling us to deliver on our aspirations of an expanded EV charging network across rural areas which is both more accessible and sustainable,” she said.