11.08.17
Dundee green-lights new EV charging hub as part of ‘quiet revolution’
Dundee City Council has officially given the green light to plans that will see an electric vehicle (EV) charging hub built in a currently vacant yard at the centre of town.
The package, part of a £1.86m award granted to the city by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), will include solar canopies, charging points and electrical infrastructure – all of which will be available to the public, the NHS, taxis and local businesses.
Mark Flynn, deputy convener of the council’s city development committee, said the authority’s use and encouragement of EVs in Dundee has been “something of a quiet revolution” that has helped meet several social and economic priorities for the region.
“Zero and low emission vehicles reduce cost, congestion and carbon emissions as well as improving air quality and the charging hub will help us to continue our journey,” he explained.
“The council’s extensive use of such vehicles is encouraging other public bodies and private individuals to buy and use them as a real practical alternative to fossil-fueled cars.”
Work on the hub is due to start this autumn and is expected to be up and running by the end of the year.
As well as the hub, which will be built on an empty site at Princes Street, there will be another eight charging points, all of which were funded by the OLEV grant.
This week’s announcement catapults Dundee to the top of the list of EV fleet-owning UK councils, with the authority amassing 83 vehicles to date. It also has one of the most expensive charging infrastructures in the UK, with one of the Rapid Chargers in Queen Street Broughty Ferry being the most used in Scotland at around 18 charges per day.
Part of this success includes sending city council mechanics to dedicated EV training courses that provide recognized qualifications in repairing and maintaining these fleets, which allows for the council’s continued expansion.
Dundee currently owns 58 charging points at eight publicly available charging locations, and in 2016-17 the council estimated that its use of EVs cut down on carbon dioxide emissions by 122 tonnes.
Its focus on expanding the EV fleet also aligns perfectly with the UK government’s transport intentions as part of its industrial strategy.