A Greenock MSP is campaigning for more investment in EV charging stations across Inverclyde.
According to Jamie Greene, the district is lagging behind with half the number of public charging points per person compared to other parts of Scotland.
Mr Greene today highlighted government figures showing that Inverclyde has 32 public charging stations and only five fast-charging facilities.
With the increase in people buying electric cars, the MSP is now calling on the Inverclyde Council and the Scottish Government to invest more money to keep up with the growing trend.
Conservative MSP Mr Greene said, “Inverclyde is falling behind when it comes to public charging points.
“It is clear that as EVs become more popular, greater investments will be required.
“Electric cars are now a common sight on local roads, and if we’re not careful we risk discouraging people from adopting this relatively new and cleaner way of getting around that doesn’t pollute our air.
“I urge the Scottish Government and the Inverclyde Council to allocate more resources to more charging points and reduce the bureaucracy for companies that want to install them.”
There are currently 40 charging points at 20 locations in the region, says a city spokesman.
This excludes charging points that have been installed by individuals and organizations such as private companies and homeowners.
The council spokesman added: “There has been significant investment in e-charging stations in recent years, including just last year when £ 85,000 was spent on a dozen new e-charging stations in the city centers of Greenock and Port Glasgow and Battery Park.
“Our charging points are available to the public and also support our own fleet of cars and vans – two thirds of which are now electrically operated.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and help the environment, this percentage is expected to increase to 80 percent in the next few years.
“As more and more people switch to electric vehicles, the demand for charging points will of course also increase, and we are continuously monitoring this and will endeavor to address this.”
The Scottish Government recently launched a public consultation on EV charging points to help motorists.
The Tele contacted the Scottish Government and received a response from their transport agency, Transport Scotland.
A spokesman said the organization had invested more than £ 45 million in its ChargePlace Scotland network, which has created 1,900 publicly accessible points across the country.
They added: “We will continue to support investments in EV charging in Scotland, including projects to provide charging for people with no continuous access to off-street parking.
“We have also provided grants to help organizations install electric vehicle charging infrastructure on their premises to provide more charging options for those who do not have access to home charging.”
