Scottish Government confirms £17.8m support for EV transition

The Scottish Government has confirmed £17.8m of funding for a package of incentive schemes in 2026-27 to support the continued uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and the expansion of EV charging infrastructure.

The schemes will focus on improving access to public, workplace and home charging, with targeted support for rural and island communities, lower income households, households without off-street parking, microbusinesses and third sector organisations.

All schemes will be delivered by Energy Saving Trust and will operate in tandem with existing UK government EV incentives.

Cabinet secretary for transport Fiona Hyslop said: “We’ve been very clear on the scale of our ambition to reduce emissions and support a Just Transition to net zero by 2045.

“Innovation and investment are absolutely crucial in encouraging people to make the switch to electric vehicles, so I’m pleased to confirm these incentives which will support access to charging for different groups.

“I’m proud of the progress made to date in growing the public charging network in Scotland, and supporting individuals to install their own charging solutions, and I look forward to seeing both the number of EV owners and chargepoints continue to rise – ensuring that no one is left behind in the EV transition.

The package includes:

• Rural and Island Infrastructure Fund, to support the installation of up to 1,000 public EV chargepoints in rural and island locations
• Domestic Rural and Island and Cross-Pavement Charging Grant, to support lower income households and households who do not have access to dedicated off-otreet parking
• Factored Development Charge Point Fund, focusing on enabling more flatted properties to install chargepoints
• Rural and Island Workplace Charging, aimed at microbusinesses and third sector organisations in rural and island communities
• Charge Place Scotland (CPS) Transition Fund, to support chargepoint owners to migrate to new operators.

More information can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website