Transport partnership HITRANS to install more electric car charging points in rural Highlands
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Transport partnership HITRANS is to deliver a new network of electric vehicle charging points across the west Highlands.
With funding of £1.5 million a total of 24 rapid charging points will be installed in a bid to break down the main barriers to ownership of electrical vehicles in rural communities.
Units will be installed in Skye and Lochalsh as well as Lochaber, Argyll and Bute and the Western Isles, with the exact locations yet to be confirmed.
Two new members of staff will be recruited to deliver the project which has attracted European funding and support from the Scottish Government.
HITRANS has tapped into a European collaboration to help deliver the FASTER (Facilitating a Sustainable Transition to Electric Vehicles) project which aims to ensure that the availability of charging stations is not a major obstacle to electric vehicle market penetration.
Chairman of HITRANS, Councillor Allan Henderson, said: "We are committed to delivering practical projects which contribute towards the greening of transport in our diverse and rural area.
"FASTER will share best practice for deploying charge points and promote sustainable transport in the region.
"We are leading on the design and procurement work package, and it is expected that we will install 24 rapid charge points or more if budget allows."
He said preliminary work has been conducted on possible locations for the chargers discussions were ongoing with Transport Scotland project partner Strathclyde University to ensure locations were chosen wisely and in line with grid capacity and existing infrastructure.
