New laws promised to boost EV charge point provision in Scotland
Scottish ministers have pledged to ensure all new homes with parking spaces contain electric vehicle (EV) charge points.
The nation’s government pledged to bring forward legislation mandating the provision of the infrastructure in various circumstances.
Following a consultation on building regulations changes, ministers said they would put forward secondary legislation by the end of this year.
Once through Parliament, this would mean that all new residential buildings with a parking space must have at least one EV charge point with a minimum 7kW rating.
Non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces would also have to create a charge socket for one in every 10. And there would be requirements for charge point addition when residential and non-residential buildings undergo major renovation.
Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “I’m pleased to confirm that we will introduce legislation to ensure all new buildings are EV-enabled.
“This step will help future-proof Scotland’s buildings as we transition to a net zero transport system. This supports our ambition of phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 as part of our response to the global climate emergency.”
Gilruth added: “We’ve already seen private developers delivering EV charge points as part of new builds in Scotland. They recognise that charge points are an attractive feature to have and offer convenience as part of a wider charging mix.
“These changes will provide a minimum standard that developers will need to consider going forward.
“We also know that many households will not have access to dedicated parking spaces and that’s why earlier this year we announced our £60m EV Infrastructure Fund, to ensure that all households across Scotland can be confident that EV charging will be local, accessible and that they too can switch to zero emission.”
Image courtesy of Transport Scotland
