The Scottish Government is investing £4.5m of funding to ensure more equitable access to electric vehicle charging opportunities across the country.

The Rural and Island Infrastructure Fund will enhance public electric vehicle charging provision in underserved areas of Scotland.

Funding will be available for rural and islands businesses, landowners and charge point operators (CPOs).

Transport Scotland said the focus on rural and island locations less likely to receive private investment would contribute to the Scottish Government’s commitment of enabling 24,000 additional public charge points by 2030.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “We’ve made incredible progress in growing the public charging network in Scotland, meeting our target of 6,000 public charge points in October 2024, two years ahead of schedule.

“One area of focus as we continue to grow the network is attracting more private sector investment, however we do know that there are some rural and island areas where the commercial sector is less likely to invest. That is where the Scottish Government steps in, to support fair access to charging for everyone in Scotland.

“We’re making over £4.5m available to support areas with limited private charging infrastructure, helping people in all parts of Scotland make the switch to EVs. Through our investment, electric vehicle drivers will be able to enjoy greater range confidence than ever before.”

It’s the latest work to boost public EV charging across Scotland.

In 2023, the Government published its EV charging ‘Vision’, setting out plans for future charging network growth, including opening up ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) to private sector investment.

Latest work to grow the network includes more than £3m in funding to boost public electric vehicle charging in the north-west, as announced in August.

Separately, a new pilot scheme to make electric vehicles accessible to more households without traditional off-street parking has launched in Scotland. The Cross Pavement Charging Grant pilot programme will fund the installation of charging solutions in East Lothian, Renfrewshire and Perth and Kinross, with other local authorities expressing an interest to take part.