OREANDA-NEWS. A new government scheme to install free electric vehicle (EV) charging points across Scotland is underway with around 100 set to be installed by the end of this year.

The ChargePlace Scotland scheme (formerly Plugged in Places) provides support for the installation of EV charging points. EV owners in Scotland can receive 100% funding for the installation of domestic electric vehicle charge points.

The scheme is run by the Energy Saving Trust and installations carried out by energy company SSE. The scheme has already received interest from around 50 electric vehicle owners located right across the country. This includes EV drivers in the cities of Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen and Glasgow as well as more remote locations such as Shetland and Arisaig.

SSE is delighted with the initial response to what is still viewed a niche market.

David Densley, SSE's Head of Sustainable Transport said:”There are currently only around 200 registered electric vehicles in Scotland so it is still relatively early days for this new technology.

“But the interest received so far is really positive and with developments continually being made in EV affordability, performance and infrastructure, matched with the country's carbon reduction targets, the uptake in these vehicles is only going to increase.”

Retired Perth resident, Norrie Doris (71), is one of the first people to take advantage of the free EV charge point offer. He added: “Electric cars are great to drive. I moved from a hybrid model to a full electric car in March this year and haven't looked back.

“The fact that they are becoming more affordable as well as the cheap running costs were the key motivating factors for me. I can get around 32 miles from a ?1 charge which is great value for money.

“Also my EV is perfect for my needs. The majority of my trips are around Perth with some visits to golf courses in the surrounding areas requiring a 30 - 50 mile round trip which is easily achievable. I just plug-in my car to the charge point at night and it's fully charged and ready to go in the morning.”

Norrie took advantage of the ChargePlace Scotland grant to get his EV charge point installed free by SSE. He joins around 3,000 other drivers across the UK who have taken advantage of similar plug-in car grant schemes.