£330k electric car charging area open

DUNDEE’S drive towards getting more electric vehicles on the city’s streets has received a boost with the opening of new £330,000 charging points.

The first of three earmarked for the Lochee ward, the new service in Aimer Square was funded as part of the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) Go Ultra Low cities project.

Mark Flynn, depute convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, said: “As well as new charging points springing up all over the city, like the one in Lochee, with backing from both OLEV and Transport Scotland we are now able to put them into neighbouring council areas as a way of developing a regional network.

“Drivers and owners of electric vehicles can enjoy the benefits of a more extensive charging network but all of us reap the benefits of cleaner air.”

The new Lochee service has four 50kw and three 22kw chargers and is available to the public and the taxi industry.

Jesse Norman, OLEV minister, said: “We are in the early stages of an electric revolution in the UK transport sector.

“That’s why the UK Government is investing £1.5 million in charging points in Dundee.

“This will support the take-up of electric vehicles in the city, helping to achieve our ambitions to cut transport emissions and improve local air quality.”

Humza Yousaf, minister for transport and the islands, said: “I am pleased that Dundee City Council has reached this important milestone.

“Charging infrastructure is a vital part of delivering our ambition of phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel cars by 2032.

“The great strides made in Dundee on this agenda is testimony to how public sector funding and leadership can work in partnership with private organisations to drive real change.

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