News & Blog

Read the latest business news, blogs and thought leadership articles from our members, as well as updates on the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce's work in the city.

News & Blog

It’s electrifying – ScotRail Alliance roll out free electric car chargers

Posted: 12th September 2017

Electric car charger at Bathgate stationElectric car owners are now benefitting from free fast-charging facilities at ScotRail Alliance stations.

The first of 50 chargers are now live, with the remainder set to follow over the coming weeks.

The chargers at Uphall, Bathgate, East Kilbride and Johnstone are available to all customers parking at the stations and are free to use. A complete charge from the 22kW supply will typically take around four hours, twice as fast as ‘plugging-in’ at home.

A total of 100 spaces will be created at 50 of the ScotRail Alliance’s station car parks by the end of the year, joining over 700 publicly-available charge points across the country.

Joining the chargers are a fleet of four electric vans, which have been leased as part of the ScotRail Alliance’s work to reduce our environmental impact. The Nissan NV200s replace a number of existing diesel vehicles.

The ScotRail Alliance’s programmes and transformation director, Ian McConnell, said:
“We’re building the best railway Scotland has ever had, and improved facilities for customers at our stations is a huge part of this.

“These additions to our car parks, combined with longer trains, more seats and better services, will all help us to achieve our aim of reducing the carbon footprint from door to door.”

Rebecca Roper, Community Manager at ChargePlace Scotland, said:
“We are delighted to welcome the new ScotRail Alliance charge points onto the growing ChargePlace Scotland network.

“The addition of these charge points presents the opportunity for greener commuting and travel, and also provides more recharging options at convenient locations for the increasing number of electric vehicles on Scotland’s roads.”

Image: The new electric car charger at Bathgate station. Credit ScotRail Alliance.

Business Comment

Business Comment is the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce’s bi-monthly magazine. It provides insight on Edinburgh’s vibrant business community, with features on the city’s key sectors, interviews with leading figures and news on new business developments in the capital.
Read more here