Switch to EVs could save Scots £220m

Drivers in Scotland could save almost £220 million every year by switching to electric vehicles (EVs). The nation currently spends £270 million a year – or £740,000 a day – […]

Drivers in Scotland could save almost £220 million every year by switching to electric vehicles (EVs).

The nation currently spends £270 million a year – or £740,000 a day – commuting by car, which could potentially fall by around 80% to £137,000 per day if it adopted EVs, new research has found.

Mike Thornton, Director of Energy Saving Trust Scotland, which conducted the research said: “With the average Scottish car commute standing at 8.4 miles there are considerable savings to be made if drivers were to look at adopting electric vehicles rather than conventional petrol or diesel cars.

“In an electric vehicle, a number of round-trips of less than 17 miles could easily be completed on one charge. People plug their phone in to charge every night and topping up an electric vehicle really is as simple as that.”

Those wishing to buy EVs or plug-in cars can benefit from a grant of 25% off the vehicle’s price, up to a maximum value of £5,000 and up to £8,000 for a van. Qualifying firms can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to install a publicly-available charging point through the ChargePlace Scotland project and individual consumers who own or use an EV can also apply for a free home charging unit.

Earlier this month Schneider Electric was picked by BMW to install EV charging points in UK homes.

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