EV chargers for Na h-Eileanan Siar

HITRANS, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, have attracted funding of £1.5 million to deliver the installation of a network of 24 rapid charging points on the west coast to break down the main barriers to ownership of electrical vehicles in rural communities.
By John A. MacInnes
Published 23rd Oct 2020, 09:15 BST
No details are yet available on locations for the charging points.No details are yet available on locations for the charging points.
No details are yet available on locations for the charging points.

It intends to employ two new members of staff to deliver the project, which has attracted Euro funding and support from the Scottish Government. Units will be installed in Lochaber, Skye and Lochalsh, Argyll and Bute and the Western Isles at locations yet to be confirmed.

HITRANS has tapped into a European collaboration to help deliver the FASTER Project - Facilitating a Sustainable Transition to Electric Vehicles in the Regions. It is a project supported by the European Union. The project will assist with analysis of the planning and procurement requirements needed to kick start a commercial charging service. Ireland and Northern Ireland are included in the project partners.

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FASTER aims to ensure that the availability of charging stations is not a major obstacle to EV market penetration.

Councillor Allan Henderson, Chair of HITRANS, said the FASTER project was the latest in a growing number of environmentally-friendly European projects that HITRANS was involved in.

He said: “We are committed to delivering practical projects which contribute towards green transport in our rural area. FASTER will share best practice for deploying charge points. It is expected we will install 24 rapid chargers or more if budget allows.”

He said preliminary work has been conducted on possible locations.