Published on:
18
May 2023
Council has agreed to introduce an electric vehicle (EV) charge point tariff across our charging network.
The decision, which will also see a minimum spend introduced and an overstay charge was approved at today’s Council meeting and will come into force later this year.
The new charge, which was consulted on as part of the 2023/24 budget engagement exercise, will ensure the day to day running costs of the network is covered by users and will address increased costs to the Council due to providing energy for free at a time when energy costs are increasing.
The new tariff, as set out on the Council’s website, is as follows:
· Fast / AC (7kW or 22kW): £0.48 per kWh
· Rapid / DC: £0.69 per kWh 2.1.2
There will be a minimum spend of £5.
The overstay charge for fast and rapid is:
· Fast / AC – (22kW only) £12 after first 4 hours plus 10 minutes grace and £12 subsequently after every 4-hour duration
· Rapid / DC - £20 after first 60 minutes plus 10 minutes grace and £20 every subsequent hour
Council also agreed a discount of 10% for Clackmannanshire residents without access to off-street parking/home charging.
The Council has been responsible for installing and operating public Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCP) since around 2014. There are currently 29 EVCPs in operation across the Clackmannanshire, with an additional 7 EVCPs currently in progress.
The tariff is based on costs associated with the electricity supply costs, as well as the annual maintenance, warranty and data fees. In 2022/23 the Council spent around £178,000 on electricity for public EVCPs.
Experience from other local authorities is that having a tariff in place leads to an immediate drop in usage following the introduction of a tariff. This is generally due to users who can charge at home opting to do so.
To deliver the thousands of additional EVCPs necessary over the next five to ten years, it is estimated that £300m to £400m of new investment will be required, most of which will need to come from the private sector. Free or below cost EV charging provided by local authorities is currently deterring private sector investment to step into the market to provide this capacity.
Councillor Fiona Law, spokesperson for environment and net zero, said: “We held climate change forums throughout Clackmannanshire, and one of the topics that was discussed was electric vehicle charging. Residents brought up the need to introduce charging tariffs and electric vehicle owners, themselves, highlighted the need for overstay charges. So I am really pleased to see that Council is taking this decision today.”