Angus Council will ask motorists charging up their electric vehicles to pay from next month.
EV charging points across Angus have been free to use since they started appearing in 2014.
But the local authority has now confirmed it will introduce a pay-to-charge system from Monday.
Earlier this month The Courier reported how Neil Swanson, director of the Electric Vehicle Association Scotland, thought free charging would soon become a thing of the past.
Angus councillors met in June to discuss the the introduction of new chargeable tariffs.
However the move to push ahead with the new scheme has come sooner than many expected.
A statement from the local authority said: “Since the installation of our first EV charger in 2014, we have aimed to develop a stable and reliable network of chargers, with every town and a selection of villages now well stocked with charging points.
“This network will continue to be developed in order to meet the national targets.
“Up until now, the charging points have been free to use, the cost being met by Angus Council.
‘Small charge’ to be introduced
“However to help us in achieving these national targets and to help maintain our existing network beyond the existing maintenance and warranty agreements, we will be introduce a small charge of £0.23/kWh on all public EV chargers from the November 1.”
During the early implementation of EV charge points, there was an expectation from Transport Scotland that there would be no charge to the customer to help support a wider uptake of electric vehicles.
In 2020/21 there was a total of 18,266 charging sessions, but Angus Council estimates that will increase to more than 27,300 in the coming year as demand continues to grow.
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