Edinburgh electric vehicle chargers: Calls for robust system to ensure best provider

Edinburgh council will look for private sector partner

Councillors have called for assurances about a robust system to choose a provider for future expansion of Edinburgh’s electric vehicle charge points amid claims the current company has the second worst record for reliability.

The Capital has around 200 public charging bays at the moment with a variety of standard, fast and rapid chargers, and is due to add a further 44 to the network by the spring. However, public funding to the council to install EV chargers is being cut, so the council is expected to seek a private sector partner to provide them in future. But the city’s transport committee was told there were “ongoing issues” with the quickest chargers, including software problems with providing the correct information to network operator ChargePlace Scotland on whether a charger is in use or not.

Lib Dem councillor Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, who has been driving an EV for about six years, said: “When it was announced BP Pulse had been chosen to install the latest phase of on-street chargers and car plug points there was a collective groan from the Edinburgh EV community. The company has a questionable record when it come to reliability and that point was proven swiftly when after a just a few weeks about half of the rapid chargers at Ingliston went offline, and we've heard about the ongoing issues.

Edinburgh has a network of chargers but funding for future expansion is being cut, so the council is likely to seek a private sector partner to provide further chargers. Picture: Michael Gillen.

“If you end up with a provider that ranks 20th out of 21 providers in the mos recent review for reliability – and that is beating only one other BP-owned provider – then I think it’s not unreasonable to assume we somehow found ourselves in the position where we weren't able to pick a better option.” And she asked that the procurement process for future provision should be robust and encourage the best possible range of providers to take part. She added: “This is especially important as we move ever closer to the enforcement of the Low Emission Zone and with our 2030 emissions target still perilously out of reach.”

An official told the committee: “We went through a full procurement process, as we had to legally, and BP Pulse were the most financially advantageous supplier. There were other providers who we went through the full evaluation process to come to this decision. I'm very hopeful that through robust contract management and through the relationships we're having with the various stakeholders in the provision of the service that we will get over the humps that have been described.”