Aberdeenshire Council has confirmed that it will be amending its electric vehicle (EV) charging tariffs across its public charging network from April 2023.
Earlier this year, the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee agreed the changes which will see an increase in the standard rate tariff from the current 24p per kW Hour to 47p per kW hour and a new overstay charge of £30, which will be applied to vehicle owners ‘hogging’ rapid chargers.
However, EV owners will be able to avail of a reduced rate of 27p per kW hour if they instead choose to charge overnight – namely between 8pm and 8am on 7kW and 22kW fast chargers.
According to the council, despite increases in the wholesale cost of electricity, it has kept a steady rate for EV charging throughout 2022-23.
A reduction in government subsidies was cited as another motivation for the increase in the tariff cost. The council has said it will increase the tariffs to ‘future-proof’ the charging network.
Ewan Wallace, head of the Aberdeenshire Council’s Environment and Sustainability Services, said: “The council must ensure it gets good value for money, however the cost of providing EV charging continues to rise. We have maintained the tariff below market rate despite the increased energy costs, but we need to move the network into a more sustainable long-term footing.
“By introducing an overstay charge on our rapid chargers we also hope to discourage ‘charger hogging’ which is another common complaint of electric vehicle users across the country. These chargers are designed for rapid turnover so we hope by introducing an overstay penalty this will encourage good behaviour and improve access for all EV users.”
