Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund has been allocated to the Scottish Borders.
Since 2011, the Scottish Government has provided over £65 million to support the development of public EV charging across Scotland. As a direct result of this funding, and increasing private sector investment, Scotland now has over 6,900 public charge points, a target for 6,000 public charge points was met in October 2024, two years ahead of schedule. Scotland has one of the most comprehensive public charging networks in the UK, with, on a per head of population basis, more rapid public EV charge points than any other part of the UK except the South East of England.
Through our £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund, we continue to support local authorities to work in partnership with the private sector to expand public EV charging across Scotland. With public funding prioritising those areas of Scotland less likely to benefit from stand-alone private sector investment in public EV charging infrastructure, including our rural and island communities.
To date Scottish Borders Council has received £137,000 in funding from the EV Infrastructure Fund to support the development of an EV Infrastructure Strategy and Expansion Plan covering the Scottish Borders. Scottish Borders Council has also bid for project funding from the EV Infrastructure Fund as part of a partnership which also includes City of Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian and West Lothian Councils. The project funding awarded to this partnership through the EV Infrastructure Fund to expand public EV charging across the South of Scotland is due to be announced later this year.