The grants are being made available to businesses to support the growth of a Scotland-wide charging point network, and the EST said it would benefit businesses by attracting more customers and promoting their green transport credentials.

Recent developments in charge point technology mean that electric motoring may ultimately become more popular in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK.

Units can be communicated with remotely allowing owners to control charging times around off-peak electricity prices. The system also allows owners to cap the supply to specific users and can produce automated expense reports.

Erik Fairbairn, CEO of POD Point Ltd, said: ‘A communicating charge point effectively turns the charging location into a smart energy hub, by providing local energy management.  It can be programmed to synchronise charging cycles according to the availability of locally generated electricity, or deliver greater energy efficiency by using the spare energy from buildings to charge parked cars.’