Electric car usage doubles in Falkirk and West Lothian council areas

The number of electric vehicles in West Lothian more than doubled, and doubled in the Falkirk Council area, last year, new figures show.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The UK Government is aiming to entirely phase out petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2030, with battery electric vehicles planned to account for all car sales by 2035.

Auto Trader said the recent surge is positive, but that electric cars are still too expensive for many people to make the switch from petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Department for Transport figures show there were 681 battery-electric vehicles in West Lothian at the end of last year – up from 328 at the end of 2020, a 108 per cent rise.

PAPA
PA

It meant 353 electric vehicles were newly registered in 2021 – three times the 118 the year before.

The figures also show there were 560 battery-electric vehicles in Falkirk at the end of last year – up from 284 at the end of 2020, a 97 per cent rise.

It meant 276 electric vehicles were newly registered in 2021 – more than double the 117 the year before.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Across the UK, the number of electric vehicles on the roads almost doubled, increasing by 94 per cent from 215,000 at the end of 2020 to 420,000 last year.

On average, an electric car will emit around one-third less carbon dioxide than an equivalent petrol or diesel car, Transport & Environment, a European clean transport campaign group, says.

The Government hopes to install 300,000 public charging points by 2030, 18 times the number a decade previously.