The Scottish government has made a further £4.2 million available to public bodies to fund a move towards low carbon cars.
Announced today Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure & Capital Investment, Alex Neil, the fund is designed to help Scotland achieve its target of cutting emissions by 42 per cent by 2020. Already Scottish authorities have been offered a £4.3 million fund made available last year, which helped them replace conventionally-powered vehicles with low carbon alternatives. In all, it helped Scottish public services purchase 145 low carbon vehicles, including cars, vans and even street sweepers, and install 74 charging points across the country.
Mr Neil said: "The Scottish Government has set world leading targets to cut emissions and tackle climate change, so it is vital that funding like this is made available to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles and help develop a network of charging points.
"This extra funding will allow local authorities and their community planning partners to bridge the gap between the cost of petrol or diesel powered vehicles and their electric powered equivalents, and help drive down air-polluting emissions.”
The funding is designed to help cover the difference in cost between a conventionally-powered vehicles and its electric equivalent. The Scheme covers most types of electric vehicles and plug in hybrids (cars, small vans, larger cans, sweepers and HGVs).
Funding can also be used to install charging points to support the use of the electric vehicles purchased. These are being installed as part of the UK Government’s Plugged in Places Scheme, with Transport Scotland leading the project in Scotland.
