Electric Vehicle charging update

At a recent South Ayrshire Council Cabinet meeting, Councillors discussed EV charging, with updates being provided on the charge point tariff and the partnership with East Ayrshire (Ayrshire Roads Alliance) and North Ayrshire Councils around the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy.

Cabinet agreed that the minimum fee for Council operated chargers is to remain at £5; while an Overstay Fee was approved for the more powerful 50kW chargers which will always be applied, with no overnight exemption.

The changes mean that all three Ayrshire Councils will be aligned with 26 other local authorities in applying the overstay fee 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it will ensure charger availability as well as potentially boosting the Council's tariff revenue.

There will be an increase in the tariff in January 2025 and July 2025. For AC 7kW and 22kW chargers this will mean a 3p rise to 50p per Kilowatt Hour and for rapid chargers this will mean an 8p rise to 70p per Kilowatt Hour. The increase considers fluctuating energy prices and would allow additional repairs and maintenance to be carried out.

Since the launch of the Ayrshire-wide strategy to increase charging points, the three Councils have worked in partnership to pool resources with assistance from Scottish Futures Trust.

A joint working group is currently developing a detailed tender document, outlining the technical specifications, geographical distribution of charging points etc. This tender is planned to be issued in January 2025 and the deadline for submission of bids will be mid-May 2025.

The three Councils have successfully applied for and received partial funding from the Scottish Government's EVIF fund which specifically supports the development of EV charging networks across the area.

Additionally, discussions with private sector partners including ChargePlace Scotland and national utility providers are ongoing.

Councillor Bob Pollock, Depute Leader of South Ayrshire Council and Economic Development Portfolio Holder said: "Along with the other Ayrshire Councils we're making good progress to ensure we have sufficient chargers in our urban centres, rural communities, and strategic travel corridors.

"There have been issues with dropped connections which has shortened charging sessions. In some cases, this has led to some drivers being charged repeated £5 fees for re-connecting attempts. I am sure this glitch will be ironed out, but if any driver experiences this, they should report it immediately to ChargePlace Scotland.

"We will continue to work with East and North Ayrshire Councils to ensure we have sufficient charging points in place to help meet the Scottish Government's target of phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.