Area tops list of worst places to own an electric motor
Lack of charging points is key reason, new research finds
Renfrewshire is among the worst places in Scotland to be an electric car owner, according to new research.
Despite being mooted as the future of private car ownership, specialist charging points for the vehicles can still prove difficult to find.
East Renfrewshire is the second worst place in Scotland to be the owner of a cutting-edge electric vehicle (EV), say experts.
Research, carried out by specialists at CarGuide.co.uk, analysed the number of available electric car charging points using data from ZapMap and the Office for National Statistics, to establish which Scottish council areas had the highest number of charging points per 100,000 population.
CarGuide.co.uk founder, Olli Astley, said: “Whilst we at CarGuide.co.uk believe that motorists getting into electric vehicles is the best way forward due to the benefits to the environment, the UK’s charging infrastructure still has a way to go.”
Figures revealed that the Orkney Islands are the best place in Scotland to own an electric vehicle.
Motorists there face an easy time when looking to charge up their vehicle, with more than 137 charging points available per 100,000 population.
The islands boast a total of 40 charging stations and a population of 22,400, making them the most accessible place in Scotland for owners.
But Renfrewshire is another story, with East Renfrewshire being named second worst place in the nation for EV owners.
The affluent area boasts just 24 charging points - equating to 25 public charging devices per 100,000.
It represents the second worst figure in Scotland, with only East Dunbartonshire - which houses just 23 public charging points per 100,000 - ranking lower.
An East Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “We own 11 charging units across the area which provide capacity for 22 vehicles.
“Residents also have access to nine privately owned and operated chargers which provide capacity to charge up to 19 vehicles.
“Two additional units with capacity for two vehicles each will be installed in the next financial year.
“We’re currently working towards an adopted policy and strategy on EV charging as part of the upcoming Local Transport Strategy and Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan.”
The spokesperson added: “We will continue to work closely with partners, including Transport Scotland, Scottish Futures Trust and the wider Glasgow City Region, in order to best support the development of the public electric vehicle charging network in order to meet demand.”
And Renfrewshire, where council bosses have tough carbon neutral ambitions, ranks as Scotland’s tenth worst local authority area for electric vehicle charging, with 39.6 public charging points per 100,000 people.
But a spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council defended the authority’s green credentials, saying: “We are continuing to provide more publicly available charging points for electric vehicles as part of our commitment to reach net-zero in Renfrewshire by 2030 and will have shortly have more than 100 bays available for local people to use.
“We will continue to add charging points throughout our towns and villages to support the switch to low-emission vehicles and are working closely with our partners and applying for funding at all possible opportunities.”
And he told how council chiefs were switching to their own electric fleet, saying: “As a council, almost one-third of our fleet is now electric - with 131 diesel vehicles replaced with electric versions - and we are determined to convert as much of our fleet as possible to lowemission vehicles as we strive to reach net-zero in Renfrewshire.”
We will continue to add charging points throughout our towns and villages