Price hike proposed at council's EV charging points

Highland Council has proposed more than doubling the price of using most of its electric vehicle charging points due to increased costs of running its network.

The cost at its fastest charging points could increase from 30p per kWh to 70p.

Highland said its electricity supply costs had risen 160% since 2020 due to higher energy costs and the installation of more chargers.

It has proposed raising the tariff of its slower destination charging from 20p per kWh to 35p.

The local authority has a network of 85 charging points - 49 are classed as journey chargers offering 43kW and above and 36 are destination chargers of 22kW and below.

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Most charging sessions - 85% - involve the faster journey chargers, according to Highland Council.

It hopes to have 23 more points installed by this autumn, and is also working on a project with Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City councils that could eventually identify where other chargers could be built across north and north-east Scotland.

But the local authority has warned it was facing increased costs of running its network.

Electricity supply costs were about £50,000 in 2020 and in excess of £130,000 now.

The council's economy and infrastructure meeting next week has been asked to approve the new tariffs.

In a report, officials said the increases were not expected to discourage local people from using the points - or from switching to electric vehicles - because it would still be cheaper to use a Highland Council EV charger than a domestic charge point.

They said East Lothian Council and Western Isles local authority, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, were also proposing similar tariff increases.