Usage of electric charging points in Scotland has doubled in the past year, and is up nine times over two years, but 25% of charging points were not used in the most recent month for which figures are available.
Data from ChargePlace Scotland shows that Electric vehicle charging points in Scotland were used 26,119 times during August 2016. This is twice the volume (12,939) in the same month a year earlier, and nine times the usage in August 2014 (2,885).
Despite the overall increase in usage there were still 25% of charge points that were not used at all during August 2016, though this was down from the 32% not used at all in August 2015 and 45% that went unused in August 2014.
At the end of June 2016 – the latest figures available – there were 3,575 electric cars and vans licensed in Scotland eligible for the government’s plug-in car and van grant schemes. This is compared to 2,050 at the end of June 2015.
As of August 2016 there were 870 public and commercial charge points in the ChargePlace Scotland network with a total of 1,772 connectors (sockets) between them.
This compares with 694 charge points and 1,373 sockets a year earlier.
Rapid chargers made up 18% of the total number of chargers but were used for 42% of all charging sessions.
According to ChargePlace Scotland the “majority of public charge points will fully charge most EVs in 4-8 hours. Rapid chargers can charge most EVs from 0 to 80% in 20-30 minutes.”
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “They say that when it comes to buying a house location, location, location is everything. So it goes with electric charge points. Facilities need to be in places where people will use them. But there’s something more.
“The evidence suggests that it is rapid chargers that are getting a disproportionate amount of use, which bears out the view that improving the convenience and speed of ‘filling’ up with electricity is mission critical to the wider take-up of these vehicles.”
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