Skip to main content

Scottish council plans free electric car charge points

Motorists in Aberdeenshire, Scotland will soon be able to charge their electric vehicles and use solar-powered parking machines in town centres across county. Twenty of the solar-powered parking meters will be fitted at a cost of £80,000 which allows motorists to pay by cash, debit or credit card or their mobile phone. The council heard that the current parking machines are prone to theft and often break down. It was suggested that the redundant power supply from the ageing parking units could then be used
December 6, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Motorists in Aberdeenshire, Scotland will soon be able to charge their electric vehicles and use solar-powered parking machines in town centres across county.

Twenty of the solar-powered parking meters will be fitted at a cost of £80,000 which allows motorists to pay by cash, debit or credit card or their mobile phone.

The council heard that the current parking machines are prone to theft and often break down. It was suggested that the redundant power supply from the ageing parking units could then be used for electric car charge points.

The charge points, which would be offered to motorists in Banchory, Banff, Crathie, Ellon, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Inverurie, Peterhead, Stonehaven and Turriff would be free to use.

Mark Skilling, Strategy Manager for infrastructure, said: "We have the opportunity here to use the power supplies for something else. It is fair to say that the uptake across Scotland for electric vehicles is lower and slower than people expected it to be.

"We are going through changes and would like to see at least one charge point in each of our busiest town centres."

Related Content

  • IAM warns of dangers of in-car technology distractions
    April 30, 2015
    The UK Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has warned that car manufacturers are building high-tech distractions into their new vehicles and have made interiors so comfortable they are being turned into living rooms. IAM chief executive officer Sarah Sillars said efforts to reduce distraction factors for motorists are being undone by the relentless pace of technology and eagerness of car makers to pack more gadgets onto dashboards. She said the main areas of concern were highly sophisticated satellite-
  • Queensland to build electric super highway
    July 28, 2017
    Eighteen electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations are to be installed in Queensland, Australia, to encourage the uptake of EVs in the state. The 2,000km Queensland Electric Super Highway will, once operational in the next six months, make it possible to drive an electric vehicle from the from the Gold Coast to Cairns. The stations, which recharge a vehicle in 30 minutes, will offer free power for the initial phase of the project to encourage as many people as possible to use them, according to environme
  • Success of London’s contactless payments
    September 19, 2014
    More than 128,000 taps using contactless payment cards and devices have been made since Transport for London (TfL) launched the new option to pay across the London transport network on 16 September. The first day saw contactless used at more than 600 train stations across the Tube, DLR, Overground and National Rail stations that accept Oyster. Contactless payments have been available on the bus network since December 2012. This week has seen a further significant rise in the number of taps on buses w
  • MaaSLab research assesses Londoners’ attitude to MaaS
    March 28, 2018
    As delegates head for our second MaaS Market Conference, Colin Sowman examines a new report looking at the potential impact of Mobility as a Service on London’s travellers and transport providers. In the run-up to ITS International’s MaaS Market (London) conference, a new independent report examining the travelling public’s appetite for Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has been published. Until now, there has been no real evidence base to evaluate the extent to which MaaS could change travel behaviour in