Dundee has its fair share of electric vehicle facilities and these are continuing to grow.
In recent years there has been a drive towards using EVs as the Scottish Government aims to reach net zero emissions by 2045.
This means not putting more harmful greenhouse gases into the environment than we are taking out.
The government wants to phase out diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2030 to help this come to fruition.
And there are now over 5,600 electric charging points across Scotland.
We have compiled a list of some of the ways in which the City of Discovery is front and centre of this EV explosion.
1. Myrekirk Hybrid Hub
Scotland’s most powerful EV charging hub was officially opened in Dundee earlier this month.
The SSE powered Myrekirk Hybrid Hub is just off the Kingsway West.
Eight of the new hub’s bays can deliver up to 360-kilowatts of power.
This means they can take just three minutes to give a car enough power to last for 60 miles.
Additionally, 16 spaces are able to deliver nearly eight miles of range per minute of charging to a standard family car.
There are already more than 400 charging points and four charging hubs in Dundee.
The city council estimates that these are used for an average of 488 charging sessions per day.
And another recent addition to Dundee’s EV infrastructure was the Clepington Road hub, which opened in June at the site of a former petrol station.
It uses second life battery storage units to capture excess solar power and charges from the grid at off-peak times.
2. Electric taxis rule the roost in Dundee
If you ever hail a taxi in Dundee then you are likely to have been driven around in an electric taxi.
This is because many of the city’s taxis are either electric or are in the process of upgrading.
There are now at least 225 electric taxis in Dundee.
Dundee City Council stipulates that new private hire cars must run on electricity.
It has also introduced incentives for taxi operators to use EVs in Tayside, including lower tariffs at council-owned charge points for electric taxis.
Operators can also get a taxi test for EVs at £10 cheaper than the rate for a non electric vehicle.
3. Dundee City Council’s electric fleet
The council has also encouraged EV use when it comes to its fleet of many work vehicles.
In early 2021 the local authority introduced four fully electric bin lorries and these have been picking up the city’s rubbish ever since.
The council’s EV fleet of nearly 250 vehicles is one of the largest amongst the UK’s many local authorities.
And by 2025 it is aiming to have a 100% electric fleet of small vans and cars.
The local authority also owns 215 of Dundee’s charge points.
It is one of five councils to benefit from £7 million of Scottish Government funding for EV infrastructure.
The government hopes this will help it work with the private sector to get more EVs on the road.
4. Scotland’s largest EV chargers operator calls Dundee home
Dundee’s reputation for EVs received a boost when SWARCO Smart Charging moved into the city in May 2021.
It took over Chargeplace Scotland (CPS) shortly after this move, which is the firm operating Scotland’s EV charging network.
And this was billed as one of the biggest charging network switchovers in the world at the time.
From its base at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, CPS aims to make owning an EV accessible for drivers across the country. .
The organisation has however faced its issues since arriving in Dundee.
It faced significant software issues not long after its launch, with customers struggling to find charging points and some finding broken units.
But the network has continued to grow and there are now more than 2,600 CPS public charging points in Scotland compared to just 55 in 2013.
5. Electric buses connect Dundee to Edinburgh and Glasgow
In September 2021 Ember launched a new fully electric bus service between Dundee and Edinburgh.
The operator has expanded its services and recently added more electric coaches to its fleet.
It also now carries passengers to Glasgow and offers a connecting service within Dundee, stopping off at smaller settlements as well.
Xplore Dundee also operate some electric buses and have trialled them on certain routes through the city centre.
The company has also recently been trialling electric coaches on its 24/7 Dundee-Edinburgh Airport route.
Conversation