Scotland driving electric car access

Scotland is one of the best performing parts of the UK when it comes to providing charging points for electric vehicles, new analysis has indicated.

The country has 743 charging points, meaning there is one for every 7,127 people.

Across the UK the ratio is almost 17,000 people for every publicly funded charging point, research by HSBC found.

The north east of England has the highest level of provision, with 664 points across the area, representing one for every 3,931 people.

Only two other areas – Northern Ireland and the south east of England – had higher than average levels.

And in Wales there are just 31 publicly funded charge points, one for every 98,806 people.

The UK government wants to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040, with Scotland aiming to do this eight years earlier by 2032.

But while about 47,000 elec- tric vehicles were registered in 2017, only 173 new publicly funded charging points were installed last year, according to HSBC.

Scott Mcclurg, head of energy and sustainability for HSBC Corporate Banking, said “urgent attention” must be given to the number of charge points available, as more and more people switch to electric vehicles.

He stated: “Charge points are a vital barometer for the health of the electric vehicle market.”