Scotland’s electric vehicle infrastructure failing drivers, poll finds

cotland’s electric vehicle (EV) drivers say the public charging network is not up to standard, a new report has revealed.

Gathering around 500 responses from EV drivers, a Consumer Scotland survey carried out by YouGov revealed users find the network unreliable and inaccessible.

Almost half of EV users said public charging points were not “in good working order” and almost 40 per cent said they found there were not enough charging points for them to use.

One driver said: “Charging is the big negative. We've had a full electric car for 5.5 years and it is still very difficult and inconvenient to take it on long journeys. We thought the amount of chargers and reliability would have improved much more in this time.”

Meanwhile, around four in 10 of those who use the public network said they found the cost of running an EV higher than expected, with it at times being more expensive than fuelling petrol or diesel vehicles.

Another driver said: “If I had to rely on public charging I’d sell the car and get something else. Public charging is out of control for cost. It takes too long and is very inconvenient.”

These conditions have pushed almost three-quarters of users to turn to home charging, it is claimed.

However, this option is not widely available across the country, with almost 60 per cent of the population living in flats or terraced houses according to the latest Scottish Household Condition Survey. Both are housing types where home charging can be difficult.

The survey also highlighted a significant difference between the advertised range of vehicles and battery life and the real-life experience on the road as well as concerns around the vehicle maintenance and repair infrastructure for EVs.

The findings come at the back of a string of initiatives to boost the adoption of greener transport across the country. Last month the Scottish Government announced a £7m fund to help five Scottish councils enhance their EV charging networks.

Head of analysis for Consumer Scotland, Eleanor Mullan, said: “In future years there will be a significant increase in the number of consumers purchasing and relying on EVs for domestic travel.

“Our research shows EVs are attractive due to the environmental benefits, and they can also offer significant benefits around convenience and cheaper running costs. We found EV drivers in Scotland are very positive about their vehicles.

“However, they highlighted a number of concerns including the cost and accessibility of the public charging infrastructure available in Scotland which will have a larger impact on those without access to at-home charging.

“There are many organisations involved in delivering an effective EV sector and it is essential they work collaboratively to ensure EVs and the infrastructure that supports them work for all consumers.”

The body has urged organisations to work towards a set of goals, such as “significantly” improving the public charging network in areas with housing types where consumers are unlikely to be able to charge at home, in advance of an expected EV market boom.

The new Labour UK Government has committed to push forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 to 2030, while the Scottish Government has pledged to slash transport carbon emissions by half by the same year.  

However, as of March 2024, fewer than 1.4 per cent of all privately registered cars in Scotland were fully electric.