Electric car drivers in Courier Country have been among the first to take advantage of a Government offer to install free charging points at their homes.
The ChargePlace Scotland scheme provides support for the installation of electric vehicle charging points. EV owners in Scotland can receive up to 100% funding for the installation of domestic electric vehicle charge points.
Around a quarter of Scotland’s estimated 200 electric car owners have so far registered interest in the scheme.
Retired Perth resident, Norrie Doris, 71, is one of the first people to take advantage of offer and uses his free charge point to power his Nissan Leaf.
He said: “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.”
He continued: “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.”
The scheme is run by the Energy Saving Trust and installations carried out by energy company SSE.
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.”
For more information on the ChargePlace Scotland scheme and to apply for a grant visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.