Electric vehicles: Scotland’s most powerful center opens in Dundee

Scotland’s most powerful charging ‘super-hub’ for electric cars is opening in Dundee.

The site – off the Myrekirk roundabout on the Kingsway – features 24 ultra-fast charging stations, eight of which can provide up to 60 miles of range in three minutes.

It comes just 18 months after BBC Scotland revealed that a quarter of the country’s publicly owned chargers were experiencing faults.

The body representing drivers – EVA Scotland – says the situation is improving, but rural charging is still a challenge.

Scottish ministers, who have previously invested millions in creating a public charging network, said significant private investment would now be needed to continue its growth.

Data from charger mapping service Zapmap shows a 43% increase in the number of public chargers in the year to June 2024, bringing the total to 5,663.

Of the 1,709 new chargers that were installed, 77% were privately funded.

The Scottish Government says it will now launch a £7m fund to encourage more private investment in Tayside, the North East and the Highlands.

The money is said to focus mainly on rural areas.

Elinor Chalmers, a first-time user of electric cars who has been driving them since 2015, says having vehicles with bigger batteries means she can rely less on public chargers.

But she says she is shocked by how expensive public charging has become, often ten times more expensive than charging at home.

She added: “Hubs are fantastic. It’s just a little bit more reliable than when you turn to a hub, there’s a good chance there’s going to be a charger available.”

The new charging hub in Dundee will have a total capacity of nearly 2.5 megawatts, which is enough electricity to boil around 1,000 kettles at the same time.

The largest superchargers will be seven times more powerful than the average fast device.

SSE, which built the “superhub”, says it plans to install around 500 in the UK and Ireland by 2030.

Chief executive for businesses Neil Kirkby said the new center supports the City of Dundee’s commitment to install “fast and reliable ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure for drivers and fleet owners”.

EVA Scotland, which represents electric vehicle drivers, says the charging network presents a mixed picture depending on where you are in Scotland.

They want councils to require operators to build in less popular areas as a condition of access to potentially busier locations.

Director Neil Swanson said: “The challenge is rural networks where we’re trying to make sure people aren’t left behind. There’s limited incentive for commercial operators to go into rural areas and it’s really down to local authorities.”

Figures from Zapmap show that the majority of Scotland’s network – 52% – is still part of the publicly funded ChargePlace Scotland network.

However, its dominance has decreased significantly in the last year, from 63% in June 2023.

Most of the newly installed high-performance network is said to come from the private sector.

Jade Edwards, head of department at Zapmap, says Scotland ranked third behind London and the South East for the number of charging points as of 2018.

She added: “However, over the past year Scotland has seen the fastest growth in power chargers of the three regions, making it easier for EV drivers not only to travel longer distances, but also to enjoy Scotland’s scenic routes and destinations with greater confidence and comfort.”

Sales of electric cars have slowed since the previous prime minister, Rishi Sunak, pushed back the end of sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.

During the general election campaign, Labor pledged to restore the target.

Scottish Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop says they aim to install 6,000 chargers by 2026 and plan to have 24,000 charging points by 2030.

She said the private sector had invested between £40m and £55m in public EV charging in Scotland by 2024, adding: “However, this can only happen if the conditions are in place to support this investment.”

The Scottish Government has announced that it will publish an implementation plan for the 2030 target by the end of this year.