West Lothian Council owns a total of 32 public charge points at seventeen locations.
There are a number of charge points operated by other organisations, including those located at railway stations
As uptake of electric vehicles and the use of council owned facilities has increased, so have the costs of operating and maintaining the network and infrastructure. These costs are currently met by West Lothian Council, which is not sustainable given the rising cost of electricity.
Introducing charges for council owned charging points allows the council to recover the costs of operating the network, maximise the availability of rapid chargers by improving driver behaviour and encourage private investment in the network, further increasing provision of EV charging points in future - which is widely seen as a way to help meet the future growth of electric vehicles and demand for charging points.
The Scottish Government has pledged to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans across Scotland by 2032.
The majority of Scotland's councils already have tariffs in place for public owned charging points
The new tariffs cover the costs incurred for the unit cost of electricity, maintenance and future investment and expansion of new EV charging points.
The new charges are:
Rapid charger
- £1 minimum charge
- Unit Rate/kWh - 40p
- Maximum stay limit: 50 minutes
- £10 overstay charge (following ten-minute grace period). No return within 90 minutes.
Fast chargers
- £1 minimum charge
- Unit Rate/kWh - 30p
- Maximum stay limit 180 minutes
- £10 overstay charge (following ten-minute grace period). No return within 90 minutes.
Other chargers
- £1 minimum charge
- Unit Rate/kWh - 30p
- Maximum stay limit - none
- Overstay charge - none
Drivers should please note that tariffs apply to the type of charger and not the connector. Rapid charger tariff and time limit applies to both DC and AC outlets.
Drivers using the network must ensure they register details with ChargePlace Scotland. Details on how to do so can be found on ChargePlace Scotland website (opens new window)
Operational costs including energy and non-warranty faults (damage etc) will be repaired by the council and this is factored it in to the new tariffs. Most of the current chargers are covered by extended warranties which were paid for using Scottish Government grant funding.
Executive councillor for the environment and sustainability, Tom Conn said: "The introduction of tariffs supports national targets set out in the Climate Change Act which we are legally bound to comply with.
"The introduction of charges will hopefully enhance the sustainability of the network and help deliver further growth in charging points which will help to meet the future growth of electric vehicles."
