Transport Scotland has stepped up its programme to establish a network of electric vehicle (EV) charging points around the country with a search for a network operator.
It has put out a procurement notice for services to support ChargePlace Scotland through a framework agreement.
They will include supplying and operating a management system compatible with all the charge points currently installed on the network, along with a website, real time status mapping system and interoperability services.
The contract is set to run for two years with the possibility of two one-year extensions and a value of around £2.5 million.
In August of last year Transport Scotland announced there were over 1,000 EV charge points in place around the country, with the average distance between them being 2.78 miles, compared with 3.77 miles in England.
This came shortly after the Scottish Government said it would provide £20.6 million to support the take-up of EVs through the Switched on Towns and Cities Challenge Fund and the Local Authority Installation Programme. The latter involved 31 local authorities receiving £8.5 million between them to install approximately 300 charge points.
Speaking at the time, Cabinet Secretary Michael Matheson described the move as integral to Scotland’s sustainable economic growth. The country has a target to phase out the need to buy new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2032.
Image from Transport Scotland
