Thousands of public EV charge points to be installed as £30m plans revealed by the Scottish Government

Thousands of public electric vehicle charging points are set to be installed across Scotland as part of a £30m Government investment into EV infrastructure.

The Scottish Government published the Draft Implementation Plan, which will see around 24,000 additional charge points installed by 2030, the majority of which are expected to be delivered by the private sector.

The government said the installation of the charging points would ensure a “greater range of confidence” and support its commitment to “phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans” by 2030.

According to charge point data provider ZapMap, Scotland had 6,007 public charge points as of October 31, delivered through a combination of public and increasing private sector investment.

It is estimated that over 80,000 EVs are currently on Scotland’s roads, and data by the UK Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders indicates that the UK is seeing record growth in EV adoption, with every fourth car sold in the UK in November being an EV.

Since 2011, the Scottish Government has invested over £65m in public EV charging and will support the expansion of public charging points with its £30m EV Infrastructure Fund, which supports local authorities in partnering with the private sector to continue expanding the infrastructure.

The Scottish Government has also provided £5.7m to support the installation of 18,861 domestic charge points and £10.8m for 1,432 higher-powered workplace charge points.

As a result, official figures from the UK Department of Transport show that, on a per-head-of-population basis, Scotland has more public EV charge points than any other part of the UK, except London, and more rapid public EV charge points than any other part of the UK.

Transport Scotland is now formally consulting before the final Vision Implementation Plan is published later in 2025.

Cabinet secretary for transport Fiona Hyslop said the plans are working to ensure “no part of the country is left behind” during the phase-out of petrol and diesel vehicles.

“Transport remains the largest cause of greenhouse gas emissions, and EVs enable drivers to take climate action and cut harmful emissions,” she said.

She added: “In October 2024, Scotland met its target for 6,000 public EV charge points two years ahead of the 2026 deadline.

“That target was achieved through a combination of public funding and increasing private sector investment.”

Hyslop added that after meeting its target ahead of schedule, the government needs to work faster to achieve new ambitions and said public money “cannot and should not” support the plans alone.

“We have already seen significant growth in the level of private sector investment in the public charging infrastructure essential to support the transition to EVs,” Hyslop said.

Scottish Futures Trust estimates that the private sector invested approximately £25m to £35m in expanding public EV charging infrastructure in Scotland in 2023 and is expected to have invested between £40m and £55m in Scotland in 2024.

She continued: “This draft plan outlines how the private sector will take on a leading role; it sets out the actions necessary for us to realise the ambition of our vision, which is to give Scotland a well-designed, accessible, comprehensive, and convenient public charging network that works for everyone.

“Our consultation is now open – and I would encourage anyone with an interest in electric vehicles and public charging to have their say and to help inform our finalised implementation plan, which we will publish next year.”

Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK, said members are installing charge points at “record pace”, with a new one being implemented every 25 minutes.

“The Transport for Scotland implementation plan acknowledges that for the rollout to go further and faster, we need the support of DNOs and local authorities and we are looking forward to working with the Scottish Government to deliver this,” she said.

“Investment in charge points is driven by the private sector, with ChargeUK members committing to invest £6bn by 2030.”