The Scottish government has committed £17.8m to bolster electric vehicle uptake and charging access for the 2026/27 period, specifically targeting underserved communities and small businesses.

The funding will focus on improving access to public, workplace and home charging, with targeted support for rural and island communities, lower income households, households without off-street parking, microbusinesses and third sector organisations.

The package includes the Rural and Island Infrastructure Fund, supporting the installation of up to 1,000 public EV charge points in rural and island locations. It also includes funding for the Domestic Rural and Island and Cross-Pavement Charging Grant, targeted at lower income households and households who do not have access to dedicated off street parking.

Other schemes getting funding include the Factored Development Charge Point Fund, focusing on enabling more flatted properties to install charge points and the Rural and Island Workplace Charging, aimed at microbusinesses and third sector organisations in rural and island communities.

Finally, a share of funding will go to the Charge Place Scotland (CPS) Transition Fund, supporting charge point owners to migrate to new operators as the network shifts from a publicly funded model to private sector investment.

All schemes will be delivered by Energy Saving Trust and will operate in tandem with existing UK Government EV incentives.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “We’ve been very clear on the scale of our ambition to reduce emissions and support a Just Transition to net zero by 2045.

“Innovation and investment are absolutely crucial in encouraging people to make the switch to electric vehicles, so I’m pleased to confirm these incentives which will support access to charging for different groups.

“I’m proud of the progress made to date in growing the public charging network in Scotland, and supporting individuals to install their own charging solutions, and I look forward to seeing both the number of EV owners and charge points continue to rise – ensuring that no one is left behind in the EV transition.”