Perth’s free electric vehicle charging points could be encouraging ‘freeloaders’ says an industry insider.
“It may be a surprise to some people who don’t drive an electric car, but most electric vehicle drivers actually want charging tariffs to be implemented.”
That is the bold claim of Dr Euan McTurk.
Inverkeithing-based Dr McTurk is an expert in electric vehicle charging technology.
And he says free charging points could lead to queues building up as more people buy into the electric vehicle (EV) revolution.
Tariffs at charging points, he says, “stop people using chargers purely because they’re getting free electricity not because they actually need a charge to get to their destination”.
EV drivers currently do not have to pay to charge their vehicles, but they do need to cover the cost of parking at Perth and Kinross Council run facilities.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said although the local authority does not demand an electric vehicle charging fee “this is likely to change as electric car use increases”.
When it does, Dr McTurk says the move is likely to be welcomed by many.
“This will reduce queues, encourage fair use and keep the network moving.
“I would hope that Perth and Kinross Council would introduce charging tariffs – and overstay penalties for rapid chargers – this year.”
How much is the fee likely to be?
How much PKC will decide to charge is now known at this stage.
But, as a comparison, let’s look at how much neighbouring authorities ask EV drivers to pay.
Angus Council offered free charging up until October last year. The fee is now 23p per kWh.
In Dundee, EV drivers pay 20p per kWh for fast chargers and 25p per kWh for rapid chargers.
In Fife, the rate is 15p/kWh but with £1.60 connection charge per session.
Perth’s charging facilities include the Broxden park and ride, which is this year being upgraded.
If the work goes to plan there will be a total of 41 EV charging points from October.
Perth and Kinross Council appointed Emtec Energy as contractors for the £850,000 project.
