Tuesday May 17th 2022
A drive has been launched by Scottish Borders Council to gauge the appetite among the public and business community for more electric vehicle charging points across the region.
In the Scottish Borders the approach to electric vehicle charging has so far been fragmented and delivered through the council, forward thinking community groups and businesses and individuals making use of government funding.
This has delivered small pockets of electric vehicle use across the region and a relatively limited supply of publicly accessible charging points.
Now the council has launched a regional, cross-sector assessment of supply, demand, and commercial opportunities to create a strategic delivery model for electric vehicle infrastructure in the future.
A council spokesperson said: “The way the charging infrastructure is being funded through Scottish Government and the region requires to attract private investment for the expansion of our infrastructure. Therefore the aim of the survey is to identify future charging demand that will create commercial opportunities for electric vehicle charging investment, supporting the growth of the network.
“If the future demand can be grouped and marketed together to maximise private investment opportunities this would therefore minimise future expenditure for the public sector, individual businesses and residents.”
The council has agreed to a Climate Change Route Map aimed at setting the Scottish Borders on a path to ‘net zero’ by 2045, in which the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced do not exceed what is absorbed naturally or through technology.
The spokesperson added: “Changes to travel habits and more sustainable travel choices, such as the use of electric vehicles by the council, business and residents, will play their part in helping to reach this goal.
“To enable this to be a reality, and to ensure the right infrastructure is available a better understanding is now needed of how demand for electric vehicles is likely to grow, how the electricity grid can cater for the demand, and how the infrastructure can be equitably delivered across the whole of the Scottish Borders.”
Over the course of May and June the council is reaching out to relevant stakeholders across the Scottish Borders to consult on the project. If you would like to be involved visit www.scotborders.gov.uk/EVConsultation to undertake an online survey.
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