The Scottish Government has named SWARCO eVolt as the preferred bidder to operate the country’s public electric vehicle charging network from July.
Transport Scotland said the contract to run the ChargePlace Scotland network estimated to be worth up to £1.2m and will be expected to run for a minimum of two years with the option to extend.
SWARCO eVolt will take over from Charge Your Car as the back office operator for the network, which provides access to over 1,600 publicly available charge points across the counrry.
It said there will be opportunities to explore new capabilities such as interoperability and pay-as-you-go options.
Michael Matheson, cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity (pictured), said reliable charging infrastructure that people can count on is key to the uptake of electric vehicles, adding that SWARCO eVolt is are already ‘a trusted and valued partner in Scotland’s journey to net zero by providing much of the quality EV charging infrastructure that drivers use across the country’.
He said: ‘I’m proud of what ChargePlace Scotland has grown to become. We have invested almost £32m since 2011 to establish a comprehensive publicly available electric vehicle charging network across Scotland. It’s expanded immensely from 55 charge points in 2013 to now over 1,600 through Scottish Government investment – with the data showing that outside of London, Scotland is way ahead of the rest of the UK in the provision of public charge points.
‘We remain focused on accelerating the provision of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and ensuring that Scotland is at the forefront o’f markets for zero emission mobility – both through public and increasingly private routes.'
Justin Meyer, managing director for SWARCO eVolt, said: ‘Our charging technology has become the watchword for reliability and performance in a world that demands certainty, and our approach to smart charging through our e.Connect software solution will be at the heart of the ambition to build a truly world-class network.
‘SWARCO’s key focus will be on service delivery and maximum uptime. EV drivers will need to have total confidence in the network to keep them on the road, and it is with this in mind that we will be developing the gold standard in service for the driver community.’
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