A new electric vehicle charging hub in Scotland said to be the most powerful in Scotland has gone live in Dundee.

Fiona Hyslop, Scottish Transport Secretary, with Simon Cowling, SSE’s director, EV, at the new Myrekirk hub

Installed by SSE and officially opened by Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, the Myrekirk Roundabout site will feature a total of 24 ultra-rapid charging bays. Eight of these will have access to charge units with up to 360kW available – a first for a publicly accessible site in Scotland.

The remaining 16 bays will feature 150kW charge units, giving a total capacity of almost two and a half megawatts.

SSE has installed a second ultra-rapid charging hub in the city at Kingsway West which features eight charging bays with 150kW charge units and kerbless charging areas to ensure accessibility for all.

The new site has officially opened as the Scottish government pledges to invest more than £7m across five councils, including Dundee City Council, to encourage greater private investment in the electric vehicle charging network.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “To reduce transport emissions and protect the climate, the Scottish Government is committed to phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030. We can only do this if people have confidence in the availability of charging infrastructure – and that can only be achieved through private investment like what we can see here from SSE at Myrekirk.

“With private investment we can grow the network with the pace and scale required to meet our commitment to see approximately 24,000 additional public charge points added by 2030. The Scottish Government’s £30m Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund is an example of how we’re working to continue to attract private investment in public EV charging and continue to grow the network as we transition to a net zero transport system. Our latest funding will ensure more places in Scotland benefit from the kind of high-quality infrastructure we can see here in Dundee.”

The site is part of SSE’s plans to build 300 ultra-rapid EV charging hubs powered by traceable, renewable energy in the UK and Ireland in the next five years, with several sites already open and more under construction.

Neil Kirkby, managing director for enterprise at SSE, said: “The opening of Scotland’s most powerful charging hub at Myrekirk represents a key milestone on that journey, supporting progress on the commitment made by the city of Dundee to installing fast and reliable ultra rapid EV charging infrastructure for drivers and fleet owners.”