An additional 3,550 public electric vehicle charging points will be installed in Scotland as new data shows the target of 6,000 across the country has been reached two years ahead of target.

A £6.3 million investment from the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund will support the latest charging points for Ayrshire and greater Glasgow area.

First Minister John Swinney and Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop will take time out from a Cabinet awayday in the area to visit an electric vehicle charging hub where they will meet representatives from EV infrastructure company Ionity.

The company’s country manager Andreas Atkins said it will spend £20 million in Scotland by the end of next year and a further £20m by 2028.

“For Scotland to have reached its ambitious target of delivering 6,000 public chargers well ahead of its 2026 target is a huge achievement, especially in such a difficult economic environment at present in the UK,” she said.

“A continued collaborative approach between the public sector and private industry is required to tackle and deliver the roadmap for net zero transport, and Ionity will continue to play a key role in this.”

Melanie Shufflebotham, chief operating officer of charge point data provider ZapMap, said: “Since the target of 6,000 public EV charge points by 2026 was announced by the Scottish Government in June 2023, charge point infrastructure has grown at an impressive rate – up over 49% from 4,023 in June 2023.

“This number covers many different charging use cases across diverse locations, from low powered on-street chargers to destination chargers at scenic spots to 150kW+ charging hubs.”

Since 2011 the Scottish Government has invested over £65m in public EV charging. ZapMap has confirmed Scotland had 6,007 public charge points as of 31 October, delivered through a combination of public and increasing private sector investment.

As a direct result, per head of population, Scotland has more public EV charge points than any other part of the UK, except London. Scotland also benefits from more rapid public EV charge points than any other UK region.

The Scottish Government has a commitment to enabling 24,000 additional public charge points by 2030 and expects the majority of these to be delivered by the private sector.

Public charge points are only one part of the overall charging mix. The Scottish Government has also provided £5.7m to support the installation of 18,861 domestic charge points and £10.8m to support 1,432 higher powered workplace charge points – all complementing the public network.

The First Minister said: “Today’s announcement is clear evidence of our commitment to making sustainable travel accessible for everyone in Scotland.

“We need to maintain this rapid progress, working in greater partnership with the private sector to accelerate the pace and scale of delivery right across the country.

“By fast-tracking EV infrastructure, we’re paving the way for a net-zero Scotland while advancing our goal to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.”