Chapter 13: Environment and Emissions

Chapter 13: Environment and Emissions

Chapter 13 infographic

Environment and Emissions

1 Introduction

1.1 This chapter provides information about the impact of transport on certain aspects of the environment with a focus on greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. Statistics include atmospheric pollutants and emissions of greenhouse gases by types of transport as well as details of emissions levels of road vehicles. Data from other chapters within Scottish Transport Statistics are referred to in the analysis.

1.2 Three new tables have been added to this chapter providing information on the number of public Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points that are now available in Scotland on the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) network.

Key points

  • Transport (including international shipping and aviation) accounts for 36% of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions under the definition set out in the Climate Change Scotland Act.
  • Road transport makes up 68% of transport greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Through September of the current year (2020) there were 6,545 Ultra Low Emission Vehicles registered in Scotland for the first time – 80% up on the corresponding period in 2019.
  • In 2018, transport accounted for 54% of emissions of oxides of nitrogen, 16% of particulate matter PM10 and 21% of particulate matter PM2.5. As at 15 October 2020, there were 38 active Air Quality Management Areas related to these pollutants.

2 Main Points

Air pollutant emissions

2.1 The main pollutants of current concern in Scotland are:

  • Nitrogen oxides (NOx);
  • Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5);
  • Sulphur dioxide (SO2);
  • Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs);
  • Ground-level ozone (O3); and
  • Ammonia (NH3).

2.2 Of these pollutants, transport is a significant contributor to emissions of oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter. Transport is also linked to ground level ozone, which is a secondary pollutant produced by chemical reactions involving oxides of nitrogen.

2.3 Historically, transport was also a major contributor to emissions of lead and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). The significant decline in lead emissions (99% since 1990) has been mainly driven by the progressive phasing out of leaded petrol. The lead content of petrol was reduced from around 0.34 g/l to 0.143 g/l in 1986. From 1987, sales of unleaded petrol increased, particularly as a result of the increased use of cars fitted with three-way catalysts. Leaded petrol was phased out from general sale at the end of 1999. For NMVOCs, transport sector emissions declined significantly during the 1990s due to the increased use of catalytic converters and fuel switching from petrol to diesel cars. (Chart 13.1a).

2.4 Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) were estimated to be 92kt in 2018 of which transport accounted for 54%. Since 1990, transport emissions have declined by 67%. Transport emissions have declined due to a number of reasons including the requirement for new petrol cars to be fitted with three-way catalysts since 1989 and, in more recent years, "Euro standards" for new cars have driven a reduction in emissions, although studies show that the diesel Euro 5 cars have not performed as well as expected. Since 2008, there has been a general reduction in the emissions from passenger cars, mainly driven by improvement in catalyst repair rates. In 2018, diesel cars and light goods vehicles (LGVs) accounted for 39% of NOx emissions from transport compared with less than 2% in 1990 (Table 13.1a).

2.5 Emissions of PM10 were estimated to be 15kt in 2018, of which transport accounted for 16%. Since 1990, transport emissions have declined by 65%. For particulate matter, the main source of transport emissions is non-exhaust emissions from tyre and brake wear and road abrasion. In 2018, these accounted for 54% of PM10 emissions from transport compared with 14% in 1990. Since 1990, exhaust emissions from road transport have decreased by 82% due to the penetration of new vehicles meeting tighter PM10 emission regulations ("Euro standards" for diesel vehicles were first introduced in 1992). Over the same period emissions from shipping fell by 81% (Table 13.1a).

2.6. Emissions of PM2.5 were estimated to be 9kt in 2018 of which transport accounted for 21%. Trends in emissions of PM2.5 from transport follow a similar pattern to those for PM10. PM2.5 accounts for all road transport exhaust PM10 emissions and most of such emissions from shipping but only around 55% of PM10 emissions due to road abrasion and tyre and brake wear.

Air quality

2.7 Concentrations of air pollutants are sampled at automatic monitoring sites and the information is held in the "Scottish Air Quality Database" on the "Air Quality in Scotland" website (http://www.scottishairquality.co.uk/), The data section of the "Air Quality in Scotland" website provides detailed information on all sites while the publication section of the website includes reports showing trends. Table 13.b in this publication shows concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, ozone and PM10 at a mixture of urban and rural monitoring sites with long time series. Air quality is monitored against standards set as air quality objectives (see Notes and Definitions section).

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

2.8 For some of the selected monitoring sites, nitrogen dioxide concentrations show a downward trend. In 2019, 7 of the 11 selected operational sites that recorded nitrogen dioxide concentrations with a data capture rate of over 75% had the lowest concentrations recorded over the period 2009-2019. In 2010, concentrations at nine of the selected sites reached their highest value over the period 2009-2019. Note that this excludes figures for years where the data capture rate was 75% or lower. In 2019, 67 sites in Scotland recorded nitrogen dioxide concentrations with a data capture rate of over 75%, of which 51 were roadside or kerbside locations. Of these 67 sites, 5 had concentrations in excess of the air quality strategy objective of 40 g/m3 as an annual mean. All 5 sites were located at the roadside or kerbside. (Table 13.1b)

Ozone (O3)

2.8 Though transport emissions contribute to ozone formation, levels of ozone are generally higher in rural areas due to the long-range transportation of primary pollutants from urban sources. In addition, ozone reacts with nitric oxide, which is more abundant in urban areas due to traffic emissions, to form nitrogen dioxide; therefore ozone levels are usually lower in urban areas. While at the selected monitoring sites there has been some indication of a downward trend in the number of occurrences of maximum daily concentrations exceeding 100 g/m3, this has since levelled off. There appears to be no trend in average annual concentrations. In 2019, of the 11 sites in Scotland recording ozone with a data capture rate of over 75%, four sites met the air quality objective of no more than 10 occurrences of the maximum daily concentrations exceeding 100 g/m3. (Table 13.1b)

Particulate matter (PM10)

2.9 PM10 concentrations show a general downward trend at the selected sites. In 2019, of the 67 sites in Scotland recording PM10 with a data capture rate over 75%, no sites had concentrations greater than the air quality objective of 18 g/m3 as an annual mean. One site (Renfrew Johnstone) exceeded the air quality objective set as 7 occurrences of a daily mean above 50 g/m3. (Table 13.1b)

Air Quality Management Areas

2.10 Whenever it appears that one or more of the air quality objectives is unlikely to be met by the required date, the local authority concerned must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) covering the area of concern. The authority must then prepare and implement an action plan outlining how it intends to tackle the issues identified. Table 13.1c summarises active AQMAs and the pollutants of concern. As at 15 October 2020, there were 38 active AQMAs, all but one of which related to either NO2 or PM10, or both.

Greenhouse gases

2.11 In 2018, Transport (including international aviation and shipping) accounted for 14.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). This represents 35.6% of total net greenhouse gas emissions allocated to Scotland in the Greenhouse Gas Inventories, down from 36.0% in 2017. Total net emissions from all sources increased by 1.5% between 2017 and 2018 rising from 41.0 MtCO2e to 41.6 MtCO2e, before making an adjustment to account for the EU Emissions Trading System with transport total emissions having decreased from 15.0 MtCO2e to 14.8 MtCO2e a fall of 1.1%. Within Transport emissions, Road Transportation accounted for approximately 67.8% of the transport total. Heavy Goods Vehicles and Light Goods Vehicles were the other significant contributors to transport emissions accounting for 12.6% and 12.5%, respectively. International Aviation and Shipping contributed roughly 12.8% and domestic aviation 4.5% of transport's total emissions. The contribution from rail was 1.1% and domestic shipping, 13.8%. It should be noted that these estimates use a methodology designed to produce internationally-comparable figures so apparent year-to-year fluctuations could be due in part to limitations in or changes to the underlying data or calculations. See Table 13.2 for more detail and emissions from earlier years and Section 4.2 below for more detail on the methodology used.

2.12 Figure 13.2 shows transport emissions over time, by mode. Estimated car emissions have fallen by 7.4% since 2006. Traffic levels (vehicle km) have increased slightly over the last few years so the reduction in emissions seen will be due to the introduction of more fuel efficient vehicles as well as other more fuel efficient driving, particularly in the business fleet. More detail on car emissions is set out from paragraph 2.16 of this chapter while more details on traffic volumes by mode can be found in chapter 5 of STS. Details of personal modal choice can be found in chapter 11.

2.13 The Greenhouse Gas Inventories report the emissions of the six gases that are listed under the Kyoto Protocol. In the case of transport, the quantities of gases involved are relatively small except for carbon dioxide, which accounts for about 99 per cent of transport's total. (Table 13.3).

2.14 Table 13.4 presents some comparisons between the UK as a whole and Scotland. Overall, Scotland's transport emissions account for 8.9% of the UK total. At 13.1% Scottish bus emissions are above a proportionate share of the UK total, while domestic aviation, at 20.8%, is significantly above that benchmark.

2.15 Estimates of carbon dioxide emissions per passenger-km for different modes of transport are available only for GB/UK as a whole. The lowest emitting modes of land transport per passenger-km are coaches at 27 gCO2e; and light rail and tram at 30 gCO2e. Air travel tends to be the highest emitter per passenger-kilometre, particularly domestic flights, which account for 244 grams of CO2 per passenger kilometre, inclusive of radiative forcing which accounts for higher levels of greenhouse gases emitted at altitude during the cruise phase (Table 13.5). The basis of these estimates is described in section 13.5 page 302.

Car emissions

2.16 Newly registered cars are becoming more fuel efficient and thus emit fewer emissions per kilometre. Figure 13.3 shows the steady downward trend in average CO2 emissions for newly registered cars in Scotland. Average CO2 emissions in Scotland for new car registrations has fallen by 15 per cent over the last ten years. However, the average for 2019 was 2 per cent higher than the previous year. (Table 13.6a)

2.17 More detail of this trend is shown in figure 13.4. The proportion of newly registered cars with emissions of 140g/km or lower has increased from 49 per cent in 2009 to 74 per cent in 2019. Cars with emissions of over 200g/km have decreased from 5 per cent of new cars to 2 per cent. These changes are at least in part the result of changes to vehicle excise duty bandings made by the UK Government in recent years.

Ultra low emission vehicles (ULEV)

2.18 The number of ultra-low emission vehicles registered in Scotland for the first time so far in 2020 is 80% up on the corresponding figure in 2019 (January – September). Almost all of these sales have been supported by Plug-in-Grant scheme for cars and vans. At the end of Q3 2020 there are 22,095 ULEVs registered in Scotland (Table 13.7 and 13.8)

Registrations by type of vehicle

2.19 The overwhelming majority (98 per cent) of vehicles licensed for use on the roads in Scotland are still powered by either petrol or diesel. Historically petrol powered vehicles have been outsold by diesel vehicles although in recent years petrol vehicles have been outselling diesel. Overall though there are more petrol vehicles on the road than diesel ones. While 29 per cent of all diesel vehicles are body types other than cars only 6 per cent of petrol vehicles were not cars. (Table 13.9 and 13.10)

Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points

2.20 The shift to electric vehicles is an important part of responding to the climate emergency and improving air quality in our cities. To help incentivise this shift, we have invested over £32 million in ChargePlace Scotland, Scotland's public charging network, which now has more than 1500 publicly available charge points. Scotland is leading the way on electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The latest figures show that Scottish electric vehicle drivers benefit from almost 40 public charge points per one hundred thousand people, compared to fewer than 30 in England, just over 20 in Wales and less than 20 in Northern Ireland.

2.21 In 2020, there were 1,592 public EV charge points on the ChargePlace Scotland network (CPS), 890 (127%) more than in 2017. Glasgow had the highest number with 137. 10.48 GWh was provided through the CPS network in 2020. A map showing the locations of the charging points in Scotland is available here https://chargeplacescotland.org/cpmap/ (Table 13.11 and 13.12)

 

Table 13.1a: Emissions of air pollutants by type of transport allocated to Scotland1
  1990 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
thousand tonnes of pollutant
Oxides of nitrogen (NOx)
Road transport     105.6 46.2 43.6 35.8 33.9 31.9 30.7 29.7 28.8 27.7 26.6 26.2 24.0
of which: Buses and coaches   6.4 4.8 4.3 4.2 4.1 3.6 3.3 3.1 2.8 2.3 1.9 1.7 1.4
  Passenger cars   70.5 20.0 19.4 14.9 13.8 13.2 12.9 12.6 12.6 12.4 12.2 12.1 11.7
  of which: Diesel 0.9 7.9 8.5 8.6 8.7 9.0 9.5 10.0 10.3 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.4
  Petrol 69.6 12.2 10.9 6.3 5.1 4.2 3.4 2.7 2.2 1.9 1.6 1.4 1.3
  HGVs 19.4 15.2 13.9 11.2 10.5 9.3 8.3 7.1 5.9 4.7 3.6 2.8 2.2
  Light goods vehicles   9.1 6.1 5.9 5.5 5.5 5.7 6.1 6.8 7.5 8.3 8.9 9.5 8.7
  of which: Diesel 1.7 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.3 5.6 6.0 6.7 7.4 8.2 8.8 9.4 8.7
Petrol     7.4 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Mopeds and motorcycles     0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Railways     1.5 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3
Aviation     0.7 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0
Shipping 6     38.7 32.3 30.5 28.8 27.1 24.0 23.4 22.1 22.8 22.5 22.8 25.1 21.7
Other transport     4.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.0 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3
Total Transport     150.5 83.8 79.2 69.5 65.7 60.5 58.6 56.1 55.6 53.9 52.9 54.8 49.4
Non-transport emissions     187.0 98.5 90.3 79.9 78.0 67.4 66.3 63.2 59.8 57.5 47.6 44.5 42.5
Emissions from all sources     337.5 182.2 169.5 149.4 143.8 127.9 124.8 119.3 115.4 111.4 100.5 99.3 91.8
Transport % of all NOx emissions     45% 46% 47% 47% 46% 47% 47% 47% 48% 48% 53% 55% 54%
Particulate matter (PM10)
Road transport2     3.01 2.51 2.41 2.31 2.24 2.08 2.01 1.92 1.85 1.80 1.75 1.76 1.69
of which: exhaust Buses and coaches 0.29 0.08 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.02
  emissions Passenger cars 0.49 0.48 0.49 0.48 0.45 0.38 0.37 0.33 0.30 0.28 0.25 0.23 0.20
  from: HGVs 0.75 0.28 0.23 0.19 0.17 0.15 0.13 0.11 0.09 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.03
    Light goods vehicles 0.49 0.42 0.38 0.36 0.36 0.31 0.28 0.24 0.20 0.18 0.16 0.14 0.11
    Mopeds and motorcycles 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
  Road abrasion   0.35 0.44 0.43 0.43 0.42 0.42 0.42 0.42 0.43 0.43 0.44 0.45 0.45
  Tyre and brake wear   0.64 0.81 0.80 0.79 0.78 0.77 0.77 0.77 0.79 0.80 0.82 0.87 0.87
Railways     0.09 0.08 0.08 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04
Aviation3     0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01
Shipping4,6     3.76 1.72 1.47 1.32 1.12 0.89 0.82 0.72 0.71 0.69 0.71 0.73 0.71
Other transport5     0.17 0.13 0.12 0.11 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.07 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.03
Total Transport     7.04 4.46 4.08 3.78 3.51 3.12 2.96 2.77 2.67 2.58 2.55 2.57 2.48
Non-transport emissions     35.01 15.67 14.36 13.24 14.75 13.28 12.53 12.86 12.54 12.05 12.39 12.68 12.83
Emissions from all sources     42.05 20.12 18.45 17.02 18.26 16.40 15.49 15.63 15.21 14.63 14.94 15.25 15.31
Transport % of all PM10 emissions     17% 22% 22% 22% 19% 19% 19% 18% 18% 18% 17% 17% 16%
Particulate matter (PM2.5)
Road transport2     2.56 1.94 1.85 1.76 1.70 1.55 1.47 1.38 1.30 1.24 1.18 1.16 1.09
of which: exhaust Buses and coaches 0.29 0.08 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.02
  emissions Passenger cars 0.49 0.48 0.49 0.48 0.45 0.38 0.37 0.33 0.30 0.28 0.25 0.23 0.20
  from: HGVs 0.75 0.28 0.23 0.19 0.17 0.15 0.13 0.11 0.09 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.03
    Light goods vehicles 0.49 0.42 0.38 0.36 0.36 0.31 0.28 0.24 0.20 0.18 0.16 0.14 0.11
    Mopeds and motorcycles 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
  Road abrasion   0.19 0.24 0.23 0.23 0.23 0.22 0.22 0.23 0.23 0.23 0.24 0.25 0.25
  Tyre and brake wear   0.35 0.44 0.44 0.43 0.43 0.43 0.42 0.43 0.44 0.44 0.45 0.48 0.48
Railways     0.08 0.07 0.07 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03
Aviation3     0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01
Shipping4,6     3.56 1.64 1.39 1.25 1.06 0.85 0.78 0.69 0.68 0.66 0.68 0.69 0.67
Other transport5     0.17 0.13 0.12 0.11 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.07 0.06 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.03
Total Transport     6.38 3.79 3.44 3.16 2.90 2.53 2.38 2.19 2.08 1.98 1.94 1.93 1.84
Non-transport emissions     21.1 8.4 8.0 7.4 8.0 7.1 7.1 7.0 6.7 6.6 6.6 6.6 6.7
Emissions from all sources     27.5 12.2 11.4 10.6 10.9 9.7 9.4 9.1 8.7 8.6 8.6 8.5 8.6
Transport % of all PM2.5 emissions     23% 31% 30% 30% 27% 26% 25% 24% 24% 23% 23% 23% 21%

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory - Not National Statistics

1. From the Air Quality Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990 - 2018.

Emissions are available annually only with effect from 1998. All the figures in this table are updated annually to reflect changes to the methodology used.

2. The Road Transport emissions database uses emission factors (g/km) for different types of vehicles, which depend on the fuel type (petrol or diesel) and are influenced by the

drive cycle or average speeds on the different types of roads; traffic activity for each DA region, including distance and average speed travelled by each type of vehicle on each type of road;

DA-specific fleet data on petrol/diesel car mix, car engine size and fleet composition (including age).

The sum of emissions across all parts of the UK equates to the total for the UK inventory where that total is normalised using fuel sales data of petrol and DERV.

3. Only take-off and landing emissions are reported.

4. Includes emissions from coastal shipping, shipping betweeen Scotland and the Overseas Territories, fishing vessels, marine engines, personal watercraft, inland goods-carrying vehicles, motorboats and sail boats with auxiliary engines.

5. Includes military aviation and naval vessels, aircraft support vehicles and railways stationary combustion.

6. Data have been revised due to changes in methodology - see paragraph 13.3.3 in notes and definitions.

 

Table 13.1b: Atmospheric concentrations of selected pollutants (*, a) recorded at Air Quality Monitoring Stations
Air Quality Type of monitoring
monitoring station 1 station 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Nitrogen dioxide 2 micrograms per cubic metre
Aberdeen Errol Place Urban background 26 * 23 21 * 22 23 21 22 20 17
Aberdeen Union Street Roadside * 59 44 53 48 47 46 43 40 38 36
Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch Road Roadside 33 33 * 30 31 29 27 29 27 27 26
Dumfries, A780 Roadside 35 40 32 33 30 30 30 31 30 30 31
Dundee Lochee Road Roadside 54 55 * 53 52 46 48 45 44 43 43
Dundee Union Street Kerbside 45 40 36 32 31 29 28 10 .. .. ..
Eskdalemuir Rural 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2
Edinburgh Gorgie Road Roadside 38 41 37 39 38 34 32 33 30 28 27
Edinburgh St Leonards Urban background 24 31 25 24 22 * * 20 20 18 21
Glasgow Centre, St Enoch's Square Urban centre 42 44 34 * .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Glasgow Kerbside, Hope Street Kerbside 78 84 72 72 67 68 60 65 59 61 56
Glasgow Byres Road Roadside 40 47 * 39 44 * 38 38 37 34 35
Glasgow City Chambers Urban background 46 49 * .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Inverness, Telford Street Roadside 21 24 27 29 21 21 * 24 .. .. ..
Perth High Street Roadside 25 30 27 26 22 22 22 23 22 21 25
Ozone 3 micrograms per cubic metre
Edinburgh St Leonards Urban background 52 33 40 49 49 * 45 45 46 51 48
Eskdalemuir Rural 56 55 53 51 60 58 57 54 57 58 60
Strath Vaich Rural 67 61 64 67 70 69 70 68 68 66 68
  Number of daily maximums (measured as an 8-hour running mean) exceeding 100ug/m3
Edinburgh St Leonards Urban background 3 0 0 4 2 * 3 3 2 13 5
Eskdalemuir Rural 20 2 10 7 14 7 9 8 3 16 16
Strath Vaich Rural 4 4 14 12 23 17 10 10 6 12 26
Particulates (PM10) 4 micrograms per cubic metre
Aberdeen Errol Place Urban background 15 13 14 12 13 15 12 12 11 14 14
Aberdeen Union Street Roadside 18 18 22 21 20 18 * 13 13 15 11
Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch Road Roadside 19 19 17 15 * * * 15 16 17 12
Dundee Broughty Ferry Roadside 15 16 16 14 16 15 13 12 11 12 14
Dundee Union Street Kerbside 17 17 19 16 15 16 17 .. .. .. ..
Edinburgh Queen Street Roadside 17 18 16 16 17 17 15 * .. .. ..
Edinburgh St Leonards Urban background * 14 15 * 14 * 10 11 10 11 11
Glasgow Byres Road Roadside 19 23 * 13 * * 10 12 13 14 15
Glasgow Waulkmillglen Reservoir Rural 11 12 12 11 12 * 11 * 11 9 9
Glasgow Kerbside, Hope Street Kerbside 26 29 * * 23 .. .. .. .. .. ..
Glasgow Centre, St Enoch's Square Urban centre 25 * 17 * .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Inverness, Telford Street Roadside 12 14 12 11 12 11 9 9 .. .. ..
Perth High Street Roadside 16 19 19 15 16 14 13 13 13 .. ..
Particulates (PM2.5) 5 micrograms per cubic metre
Aberdeen Errol Place Urban background .. 7 8 9 9 10 8 5 6 7 7
Aberdeen Union Street Roadside .. .. .. .. .. * 11 7 7 8 7
Auchencorth Moss Rural 3 .. 4 4 .. 7 3 3 5 5 4
Edinburgh St Leonards Urban background 8 9 12 .. 8 .. 6 6 7 6 6
Glasgow Kerbside, Hope Street Kerbside .. 23 22 20 16 .. .. .. .. .. ..
Glasgow Centre, St Enoch's Square Urban centre 12 12 10 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Glasgow High Street Roadside .. .. .. .. .. .. 8 8 7 7 6
Glasgow Townhead Urban background .. .. .. .. .. 7 7 7 8 7 7
Grangemouth Urban industrial 9 11 11 11 .. 8 9 6 6 7 8

Source: Scottish Government - Not National Statistics

1. The sites chosen are a mixture of urban and rural site types with long time series

2. Annual mean concentration of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide.

3. Annual mean ground level ozone concentration.

4. Annual mean atmospheric PM10 concentration.

5. Annual mean atmospheric PM2.5 concentration.

(*) Since 2003, results where data capture is less than 75% are not shown.

(..) Site not in operation for given year

(a) those to which transport is understood to contribute significantly - see text.

 

Table 13.1c: Number of active Air Quality Management Areas by pollutant and local authority, as at 15 October 2020
Local authority Pollutant(s) All pollutants
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) only Particulate Matter (PM10) only Both NO2 and PM10 Sulphur dioxide
Aberdeen City Council - - 3 - 3
City of Edinburgh Council 5 1 - - 6
Dundee City Council - - 1 - 1
East Dunbartonshire Council - - 2 - 2
East Lothian Council 1 - - - 1
Falkirk Council 1 1 1 1 4
Fife Council - - 2 - 2
Glasgow City Council 2 - 1 - 3
Highland Council 1 - - - 1
North Lanarkshire Council - 4 - - 4
Perth & Kinross Council - - 2 - 2
Renfrewshire Council 2 - 1 - 3
South Lanarkshire Council 1 2 - - 3
West Lothian Council - 1 2 - 3
Scotland 13 9 15 1 38

Source: Scottish Air Quality website - Not National Statistics

Figure 13.1: Index of air pollutant emissions from transport in Scotland, 1990-2018 (1990=100)

Figure 13.1: Index of air pollutant emissions from transport in Scotland, 1990-2018 (1990=100)

Source: Scottish Air Quality website - Not National Statistics

 

Table 13.2: Emissions of greenhouse gases by type of transport allocated to Scotland (MtCO2e)
Year 1990 1995 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Buses & coaches 0.60 0.60 0.50 0.50 0.52 0.48 0.47 0.48 0.48 0.47 0.46 0.48 0.41
Passenger cars 5.79 5.84 6.13 5.96 5.76 5.68 5.71 5.62 5.63 5.65 5.76 5.89 5.82
Heavy Goods Vehicles 1.79 1.71 1.77 1.65 1.69 1.65 1.68 1.69 1.69 1.74 1.82 1.88 1.87
Light Goods Vehicles 0.96 1.07 1.41 1.39 1.43 1.44 1.46 1.48 1.55 1.63 1.76 1.88 1.85
Mopeds & motorcycles 0.04 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.03
Other road2 0.02 0.02 0.07 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05
Road Transportation Total1 9.18 9.26 9.92 9.60 9.50 9.34 9.40 9.35 9.43 9.58 9.87 10.22 10.04
Railways 0.12 0.13 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.16
International Aviation and Shipping3,4 1.31 1.46 1.78 1.63 1.43 1.56 1.46 1.54 1.64 1.70 1.81 1.93 1.90
Domestic Aviation4 0.86 0.74 0.96 0.85 0.79 0.78 0.75 0.75 0.72 0.71 0.66 0.70 0.67
Domestic Shipping and Maritime4 3.40 4.22 2.80 2.68 2.53 2.15 1.94 1.82 1.85 1.97 2.05 1.95 2.04
Total transport 14.88 15.81 15.64 14.94 14.42 13.99 13.73 13.63 13.82 14.14 14.57 14.97 14.81
Non-transport net emissions 61.32 61.02 44.67 41.34 44.43 38.12 38.79 37.12 33.48 32.06 27.47 26.02 26.81
Net emissions all sources5 76.20 76.83 60.31 56.28 58.86 52.11 52.52 50.75 47.30 46.19 42.04 40.99 41.61
Total net emissions attributed to transport (%)5 19.53 20.58 25.93 26.55 24.50 26.85 26.14 26.87 29.23 30.60 34.66 36.52 35.58

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory: Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland 1990-2018, some headings are own aggregations - Not National Statistics

1. The method used to estimate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from road transport is based on vehicle kilometre travelled data constrained so that the sum of emissions across all parts of the UK equates to the total for the UK inventory.

That total is derived from fuel sales data of petrol and DERV within the UK as specified in the reporting guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Further detail can be found in Section 3.3 of the report and in Annex 2.

2. Other road includes urea used as part of an additive for certain categories of diesel engine, LPG use and road vehicle engines.

3. A split between International aviation and international shipping can be found in the Carbon Accout for Transport

https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/48199/sct07209535161.pdf

4. Includes various additional emissions associated with both shipping and aviation such as support vehicles at airports or marine engines on ships

5. Net emissions take account of removals of carbon dioxide due to carbon sinks.

 

Table 13.3: Emissions of greenhouse gases by Transport allocated to Scotland1,2 (KtCO2e)
Year 1990 1995 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Non-IAS Emissions
Carbon dioxide (CO2) 13.301 14.063 13.713 13.176 12.861 12.313 12.142 11.971 12.058 12.302 12.617 12.899 12.760
Methane (CH4) 0.100 0.075 0.022 0.017 0.015 0.013 0.012 0.011 0.010 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009
Nitrous Oxide (N2O) 0.165 0.214 0.121 0.115 0.114 0.110 0.111 0.113 0.117 0.122 0.129 0.134 0.136
Total transport greenhouse gases (Excluding International Aviation and Shipping) 13.567 14.352 13.857 13.308 12.989 12.436 12.265 12.095 12.186 12.434 12.754 13.043 12.905
IAS Emissions
Carbon dioxide (CO2) 1.296 1.443 1.760 1.614 1.417 1.538 1.447 1.523 1.621 1.686 1.795 1.907 1.882
Methane (CH4) 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.000 0.001 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Nitrous Oxide (N2O) 0.016 0.017 0.019 0.018 0.015 0.017 0.015 0.016 0.017 0.017 0.019 0.019 0.019
Total greenhouse gases from International Aviation and Shipping 1.313 1.461 1.780 1.632 1.433 1.555 1.463 1.539 1.638 1.703 1.814 1.926 1.902
All transport greenhouse gases 14.879 15.813 15.637 14.940 14.422 13.991 13.728 13.634 13.824 14.137 14.568 14.969 14.807

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory: Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland 1990-2018, some headings are own aggregations - Not National Statistics

https://naei.beis.gov.uk/reports/reports?report_id=1000

1. The footnotes to Table 5.12 also apply to this table, including revision of the figures; though note that emissions of methane and nitrous oxide from road transport are estimated using vehicle kilometre data.

In both of the calculation methods, and the total emissions of these GHGs from the two methods are identical. There are no emissions of other greenhouse gases by transport in the inventory.

2. The figures for greenhouse gas emissions are expressed in terms of their Global Warming Potential in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. To convert from tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to tonnes of other gases multiply by the following factors: GWP methane - 25, GWP nitrous oxide - 298.

 

Table 13.4: Comparison of transport greenhouse gas emissions from Scotland and UK as a whole (MtCO2e)
  Scottish Baseline (1990) UK Baseline (1990) Scottish Emissions (2017) UK Emissions (2017) Scottish Emissions (2018) UK Emissions (2018) Scottish Emissions as % of UK Emissions (2018) Change in Scottish Emissions (2017-2018) Change in UK Emissions (2017-2018) Change in Scottish Emissions (1990-2018) Change in UK Emissions (1990-2018)
Buses & coaches 0.60 5.25 0.48 3.36 0.41 3.17 13% -16% -6% -44% -66%
Passenger cars 5.79 72.29 5.89 69.70 5.82 68.47 8% -1% -2% 1% -6%
Heavy Goods Vehicles 1.79 20.46 1.88 20.78 1.87 20.73 9% -1% 0% 4% 1%
Light Goods Vehicles 0.96 11.64 1.88 19.50 1.85 19.43 10% -1% 0% 48% 40%
Mopeds & motorcycles 0.04 0.77 0.04 0.53 0.03 0.52 7% -1% -3% -11% -50%
Other Road 0.02 0.17 0.05 0.58 0.05 0.61 9% 6% 6% 71% 72%
Road Transportation Total1 9.18 110.58 10.22 114.44 10.04 112.92 9% -2% -1% 9% 2%
Emissions by Road Type
Urban 3.40 14.52 3.68 39.86 3.57 38.86 9% -3% -3% 5% 63%
Rural 4.63 14.77 4.53 46.73 4.37 46.35 9% -4% -1% -6% 68%
Motorway 1.12 8.82 1.94 27.11 2.03 26.95 8% 4% -1% 45% 67%
Railways 0.12 1.47 0.17 1.99 0.16 1.79 9% -8% -11% 21% 18%
International Aviation and Shipping 1 1.31 23.67 1.93 36.26 1.90 36.67 5% -1% 1% 31% 35%
Domestic Aviation 2 0.86 5.66 0.70 3.30 0.67 3.21 21% -4% -3% -28% -76%
Domestic Shipping and Maritime 3 3.40 9.93 1.95 6.39 2.04 6.43 32% 4% 1% -67% -54%
Total transport (excl International Aviation and Shipping) 13.57 127.64 13.04 126.11 12.91 124.35 10% -1% -1% -5% -3%
Total transport (incl International Aviation and Shipping) 14.88 151.30 14.97 162.37 14.81 161.03 9% -1% -1% 0% 6%

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory: Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland 1990-2018, some headings are own aggregations - Not National Statistics

https://naei.beis.gov.uk/reports/reports?report_id=1000

1. Includes aircraft engine emissions

2 . Includes military aircraft and aircraft upport vehicls

3. Includes lubricant for marine engines

Figure 13.2: Estimated greenhouse gas emissions of Scottish transport for 2018 (inclusive of radiative forcing)

Figure 13.2: Estimated greenhouse gas emissions of Scottish transport for 2018 (inclusive of radiative forcing)

Figure 13.2: Estimated greenhouse gas emissions of Scottish transport for 2018

Figure 13.2: Estimated greenhouse gas emissions of Scottish transport for 2018

 

Table 13.5: UK Carbon Dioxide emissions: grams per passenger-kilometre, 20201
Mode of Transport gCO2 per passenger kilometre
Petrol cars2 168
Diesel cars2 174
Hybrid2 116
Petrol motorbike 113
Bus 103
Coach 27
National rail 37
Light rail and tram 30
Ferry 113
Domestic flights3,4,5 244
Short haul international3,4,5 156
Long haul international3,4,5 191

1. Source

https://naei.beis.gov.uk/reports/reports?section_id=3

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/806027/Conversion-Factors-2019-Full-set-for-advanced-users.xls

All figures are estimated using data for GB/UK as a whole so do not specifically relate to Scotland.

2. All Car figures assume an average car occupancy rate of 1.50 passengers based on the latest Transport and Travel in Scotland

3. The long haul estimate is based on a flight length from the Guidelines of of 6482 km, short haul 1108km and domestic 463km.

4. All the factors include the distance uplift of 8% to compensate for planes not flying using the most direct route i.e. flying around international airspace, stacking etc.

5. Aviation emissions calculations inclusive of radiative forcing, thus taking account of additional environmental impacts of aviation, including emissions of nitrous oxides and water vapour emitted at high altitudes.

 

Table 13.6a: Cars registered for the first time by CO2 emission band, Scotland
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
thousands
Up to 100 g/km 1.3 2.3 4.6 13.0 25.6 36.2 39.1 36.4 32.3 22.9 17.4
101 - 110 g/km 8.1 9.2 15.3 17.3 23.5 34.8 46.9 52.6 43.6 32.6 24.1
111 - 120 g/km 24.7 29.7 28.1 31.6 43.1 48.2 41.2 48.3 47.4 44.6 37.9
121 - 130 g/km 15.4 27.6 28.5 39.4 39.7 36.5 33.3 32.1 29.8 29.3 33.6
131 - 140 g/km 41.5 33.9 31.4 30.5 26.3 23.8 23.7 20.1 21.1 20.0 18.4
141 - 150 g/km 24.7 20.5 20.3 18.9 17.0 13.8 12.7 12.5 11.3 13.3 16.2
151 - 165 g/km 32.7 25.3 18.1 14.1 14.1 15.3 13.2 10.1 9.2 12.3 15.8
166 - 175 g/km 10.7 6.2 6.1 5.7 6.4 4.4 4.1 3.5 3.2 4.3 5.3
176- 185 g/km 9.4 7.5 5.4 3.5 2.5 2.6 3.0 2.2 2.2 3.2 3.0
186- 200 g/km 7.4 7.0 4.6 3.9 2.8 2.9 1.3 1.0 1.5 1.9 1.6
201 - 225 g/km 5.1 3.7 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.6 1.5 0.8 1.3 2.4
226 - 255 g/km 2.3 2.6 2.3 1.8 1.4 1.0 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.7
Over 255 g/km 2.2 1.2 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.7
Not known 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8
Total 186.2 177.2 167.8 182.5 205.2 222.4 221.8 222.1 204.0 187.5 177.7
Avg CO2 148.6 143.4 138.2 133.2 128.4 124.4 121.4 120.0 120.2 123.6 126.5
Column Percentages
Up to 100 g/km 0.7 1.3 2.7 7.1 12.5 16.3 17.6 16.4 15.8 12.2 9.8
101 - 110 g/km 4.3 5.2 9.1 9.5 11.4 15.7 21.2 23.7 21.4 17.4 13.5
111 - 120 g/km 13.3 16.8 16.8 17.3 21.0 21.7 18.6 21.7 23.2 23.8 21.3
121 - 130 g/km 8.3 15.6 17.0 21.6 19.4 16.4 15.0 14.5 14.6 15.6 18.9
131 - 140 g/km 22.3 19.1 18.7 16.7 12.8 10.7 10.7 9.1 10.4 10.6 10.3
141 - 150 g/km 13.3 11.6 12.1 10.4 8.3 6.2 5.7 5.6 5.6 7.1 9.1
151 - 165 g/km 17.5 14.3 10.8 7.8 6.9 6.9 5.9 4.6 4.5 6.5 8.9
166 - 175 g/km 5.8 3.5 3.6 3.1 3.1 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.5 2.3 3.0
176- 185 g/km 5.1 4.2 3.2 1.9 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.7 1.7
186- 200 g/km 4.0 4.0 2.8 2.1 1.4 1.3 0.6 0.4 0.7 1.0 0.9
201 - 225 g/km 2.7 2.1 1.1 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.7 1.3
226 - 255 g/km 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.0 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4
Over 255 g/km 1.2 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4
Not known 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: DVLA//DVADfT - GB figures published as DfT table VEH0256

Figure 13.3 Licensed cars average CO2 emissions, Scotland 2009-2019

Figure 13.3 Licensed cars average CO2 emissions, Scotland 2009-2019

Figure 13.4 Licensed car registrations, Scotland, by Emissions band, 2009-2019

Figure 13.4 Licensed car registrations, Scotland, by Emissions band, 2009-2019

 

Table 13.6b: Licensed cars by CO2 emission band, Scotland
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
thousands
Up to 100 g/km 1.8 4.1 8.8 22.0 49.2 89.5 133.2 176.5 213.1 236.5 249.0
101 - 110 g/km 23.2 32.5 47.9 67.0 94.1 130.8 176.7 229.2 276.2 309.9 333.8
111 - 120 g/km 68.6 98.9 127.2 158.2 198.5 243.3 279.5 317.8 355.2 391.0 424.8
121 - 130 g/km 74.4 100.1 130.5 170.2 210.9 243.2 267.3 287.8 305.1 324.8 351.6
131 - 140 g/km 254.8 281.4 303.0 321.0 332.6 337.8 335.6 330.6 324.7 319.3 315.9
141 - 150 g/km 265.9 278.2 288.6 293.0 290.9 282.0 265.6 250.9 235.5 223.2 218.3
151 - 165 g/km 407.2 415.2 413.7 401.8 382.5 362.5 336.3 310.6 284.5 262.7 250.3
166 - 175 g/km 180.2 178.7 176.6 172.2 164.0 153.0 139.7 126.5 114.2 103.8 96.5
176- 185 g/km 130.0 130.8 129.2 124.6 116.3 107.7 97.8 88.0 79.0 72.0 66.2
186- 200 g/km 130.5 130.2 128.6 124.1 116.4 108.3 96.9 86.2 76.7 68.1 60.6
201 - 225 g/km 109.6 108.0 104.7 100.1 93.9 87.6 79.7 72.5 65.0 58.2 53.3
226 - 255 g/km 60.9 60.6 60.3 58.6 55.8 52.2 47.2 42.4 37.8 33.6 30.3
Over 255 g/km 50.2 49.8 48.9 46.7 44.2 41.5 37.9 34.8 31.8 29.2 26.8
Not known 491.5 386.1 296.3 225.5 169.9 130.1 100.9 79.2 63.6 53.5 47.2
Total 2,248.5 2,254.5 2,264.4 2,285.1 2,319.2 2,369.3 2,394.2 2,433.1 2,462.4 2,486.0 2,524.5
Avg CO2 164.9 162.6 160.2 157.4 153.9 150.1 146.2 142.4 139.1 136.5 134.5
Column Percentages
Up to 100 g/km 0.1 0.2 0.4 1.0 2.1 3.8 5.6 7.3 8.7 9.5 9.9
101 - 110 g/km 1.0 1.4 2.1 2.9 4.1 5.5 7.4 9.4 11.2 12.5 13.2
111 - 120 g/km 3.1 4.4 5.6 6.9 8.6 10.3 11.7 13.1 14.4 15.7 16.8
121 - 130 g/km 3.3 4.4 5.8 7.4 9.1 10.3 11.2 11.8 12.4 13.1 13.9
131 - 140 g/km 11.3 12.5 13.4 14.0 14.3 14.3 14.0 13.6 13.2 12.8 12.5
141 - 150 g/km 11.8 12.3 12.7 12.8 12.5 11.9 11.1 10.3 9.6 9.0 8.6
151 - 165 g/km 18.1 18.4 18.3 17.6 16.5 15.3 14.0 12.8 11.6 10.6 9.9
166 - 175 g/km 8.0 7.9 7.8 7.5 7.1 6.5 5.8 5.2 4.6 4.2 3.8
176- 185 g/km 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.1 3.6 3.2 2.9 2.6
186- 200 g/km 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.4 5.0 4.6 4.0 3.5 3.1 2.7 2.4
201 - 225 g/km 4.9 4.8 4.6 4.4 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.6 2.3 2.1
226 - 255 g/km 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.0 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.2
Over 255 g/km 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1
Not known 21.9 17.1 13.1 9.9 7.3 5.5 4.2 3.3 2.6 2.2 1.9
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: DVLA//DVADfT - GB figures published as DfT table VEH0206

Figure 13.3 New car average CO2 emissions, Scotland 2009-2019

Figure 13.3 New car average CO2 emissions, Scotland 2009-2019

Figure 13.4 First time car registrations, Scotland, by Emissions band, 2009-2019

Figure 13.4 First time car registrations, Scotland, by Emissions band, 2009-2019

 

Table 13.7: Ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV)1 registered for the first time, Scotland, quarterly: January 2013 to September 2020
Vehicles
Year Month PiG Eligible Cars 2,3
Category 1 Category 2/3 Non PiG Eligible Plug-in Cars 2,3 Non Plug-in Cars Quadricycles All Cars PiG Eligible Motorcycles and tricycles 2,4 Non PiG Eligible Motorcycles and tricycles 2,4 All Motorcycles and tricycles 4 PiG Eligible Light Goods Vehicles 2 Non PiG Eligible Plug-in Light Goods Vehicles 2 Non Plug-in Light Goods Vehicles All Light Goods Vehicles Heavy Goods Vehicles Buses and coaches Other vehicles Total
2013 Jan-Mar 12 14 - - - 26 - - - 4 - - 4 - - - 30
2013 Apr-Jun 50 16 1 - - 67 - - - 1 1 - 2 - - 3 72
2013 Jul-Sep 44 9 3 - 1 57 - - - 3 - - 3 - 1 1 62
2013 Oct-Dec 38 8 - - - 46 - - - 1 2 - 3 - - 1 50
2014 Jan-Mar 111 19 - - - 130 - - - 9 - - 9 - - 1 140
2014 Apr-Jun 114 48 4 - 1 167 3 - 3 11 1 - 12 - 2 1 185
2014 Jul-Sep 140 122 5 - 2 269 - - - 10 2 - 12 - 1 2 284
2014 Oct-Dec 168 90 14 - - 272 - 1 1 12 2 - 14 - 4 - 291
2015 Jan-Mar 172 173 20 - 8 373 - 2 2 28 1 - 29 - 5 - 409
2015 Apr-Jun 131 168 18 - 2 319 - 1 1 15 2 - 17 - 1 - 338
2015 Jul-Sep 123 145 11 1 1 281 - 1 1 14 2 - 16 - - 1 299
2015 Oct-Dec 188 151 2 - 3 344 - 1 1 6 2 - 8 - - - 353
2016 Jan-Mar 198 237 13 4 1 453 - 3 3 26 - - 26 1 - 2 485
2016 Apr-Jun 131 132 8 21 - 292 - 3 3 20 - - 20 - - 1 316
2016 Jul-Sep 162 202 9 14 1 388 - 2 2 12 - - 12 1 - - 403
2016 Oct-Dec 145 128 12 19 - 304 - 3 3 10 2 - 12 - - - 319
2017 Jan-Mar 347 279 14 26 - 666 - 1 1 23 1 - 24 - - - 691
2017 Apr-Jun 248 228 14 29 1 520 - 5 5 22 1 - 23 - - 1 549
2017 Jul-Sep 254 415 26 26 - 721 2 8 10 14 1 - 15 - 6 - 752
2017 Oct-Dec 150 338 12 30 - 530 2 3 5 11 1 - 12 - - 3 550
2018 Jan-Mar 276 502 22 24 - 824 - 1 1 17 2 - 19 - - 1 845
2018 Apr-Jun 283 544 62 5 1 895 3 5 8 21 - - 21 - - 3 927
2018 Jul-Sep 294 447 51 2 - 794 5 6 11 22 - - 22 - - 8 835
2018 Oct-Dec 276 62 538 - 1 877 2 7 9 21 - - 21 - 1 14 922
2019 Jan-Mar 526 - 569 - - 1,095 3 7 10 40 3 - 43 - - 24 1,172
2019 Apr-Jun 431 - 458 - - 889 6 10 16 48 1 - 49 2 - 15 971
2019 Jul-Sep 870 - 539 - - 1,409 13 2 15 41 4 - 45 - 3 19 1,491
2019 Oct-Dec 792 - 520 - - 1,312 13 7 20 66 - - 66 - - 34 1,432
2020 Jan-Mar 1,022 - 553 1 - 1,576 5 13 18 75 - - 75 - 2 16 1,687
2020 Apr-Jun 518 - 253 - - 771 12 1 13 28 2 - 30 - - 2 816
2020 Jul-Sep 2,080 - 1,807 - - 3,887 20 12 32 103 1 - 104 - 6 13 4,042
2013 Whole year 144 47 4 - 1 196 - - - 9 3 - 12 - 1 5 214
2014 Whole year 533 279 23 - 3 838 3 1 4 42 5 - 47 - 7 4 900
2015 Whole year 614 637 51 1 14 1,317 - 5 5 63 7 - 70 - 6 1 1,399
2016 Whole year 636 699 42 58 2 1,437 - 11 11 68 2 - 70 2 - 3 1,523
2017 Whole year 999 1,260 66 111 1 2,437 4 17 21 70 4 - 74 - 6 4 2,542
2018 Whole year 1,129 1,555 673 31 2 3,390 10 19 29 81 2 - 83 - 1 26 3,529
2019 Whole year 2,619 - 2,086 - - 4,705 35 26 61 195 8 - 203 2 3 92 5,066

Source: DVLA/DfT

1. Ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) are vehicles that are reported to emit less than 75g of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the tailpipe for every kilometre travelled. In practice, the term typically refers to battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. These figures are subject to minor revision between quarterly publications when individual vehicles are reviewed against the criteria. See Notes and Definitions for more information on how reported emissions are calculated.

2. Plug-in grant eligibility is applied to all vehicles of eligible models at the date of latest table update. Therefore earlier data in the series may be changed retrospectively as models are added to the eligible list. In addition, if a vehicle becomes ineligible for the plug-in grant, it will remain in this list for historical comparison. For more details, see: https://www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants/eligibility

3. Changes to the Plug-in Car Grant came into effect on 21 October 2018 and 12 March 2020. Vehicles registered for the first time on or after these dates are categorised using the new eligibility criteria. There may be some cars that were purchased with a plug-in car grant but were registered for the first time after this date. For more information about the changes, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plug-in-car-grant-changes-to-grant-level-november-2018/upcoming-changes-to-the-plug-in-car-grant

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plug-in-vehicle-grants-update-following-todays-budget

4. Some powerful electric bikes have to be registered as mopeds and will be included here. For more details, see: https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules

 

Table 13.8: Ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV)1 licensed at the end of year, Scotland, quarterly: 2013 q1 to 2020 q3
Vehicles
Quarter PiG Eligible Cars 2,3
Category 1 Category 2/3 Non PiG Eligible Plug-in Cars 2,3 Non Plug-in Cars Quadricycles All Cars PiG Eligible Motorcycles and tricycles 2,4 Non PiG Eligible Motorcycles and tricycles 2,4 All Motorcycles and tricycles 4 PiG Eligible Light Goods Vehicles 2 Non PiG Eligible Plug-in Light Goods Vehicles 2 Non Plug-in Light Goods Vehicles All Light Goods Vehicles Heavy Goods Vehicles Buses and coaches Other vehicles Total
2011 Q1 14 - 60 - - 74 - 72 72 - 93 - 93 8 2 67 316
2011 Q2 51 - 61 - - 112 - 71 71 - 96 - 96 8 1 67 355
2011 Q3 64 - 63 - - 127 - 67 67 - 98 - 98 9 2 67 370
2011 Q4 70 - 62 - - 132 - 62 62 1 110 - 111 8 2 69 384
2012 Q1 97 - 61 - 1 159 - 66 66 1 117 - 118 8 2 69 422
2012 Q2 119 12 63 - 14 208 - 66 66 6 119 - 125 9 2 79 489
2012 Q3 136 31 63 - 15 245 - 59 59 31 122 - 153 9 2 74 542
2012 Q4 168 39 64 - 16 287 - 51 51 42 121 - 163 9 3 71 584
2013 Q1 187 55 63 - 16 321 - 46 46 48 121 - 169 8 3 71 618
2013 Q2 246 68 62 - 16 392 - 46 46 48 125 - 173 7 3 74 695
2013 Q3 290 74 66 - 15 445 - 45 45 55 120 - 175 8 4 74 751
2013 Q4 330 85 66 - 16 497 - 43 43 58 119 - 177 8 4 76 805
2014 Q1 437 104 65 - 16 622 - 41 41 70 119 - 189 7 4 78 941
2014 Q2 555 152 65 - 15 787 3 38 41 80 120 - 200 8 5 77 1,118
2014 Q3 702 273 73 - 17 1,065 3 31 34 89 120 - 209 9 12 78 1,407
2014 Q4 862 363 83 - 18 1,326 3 28 31 96 126 - 222 9 13 80 1,681
2015 Q1 1,024 541 101 - 27 1,693 3 30 33 113 126 - 239 9 21 78 2,073
2015 Q2 1,149 716 111 - 29 2,005 3 29 32 133 116 - 249 9 22 75 2,392
2015 Q3 1,262 891 100 1 29 2,283 4 26 30 150 109 - 259 8 21 74 2,675
2015 Q4 1,451 1,060 102 1 32 2,646 4 28 32 152 118 - 270 8 21 74 3,051
2016 Q1 1,633 1,334 107 5 36 3,115 4 29 33 176 115 - 291 9 21 72 3,541
2016 Q2 1,768 1,512 116 26 36 3,458 4 33 37 202 114 - 316 9 21 72 3,913
2016 Q3 1,961 1,761 121 40 36 3,919 4 37 41 219 113 - 332 10 21 64 4,387
2016 Q4 2,125 1,931 127 58 37 4,278 4 31 35 229 114 - 343 9 22 60 4,747
2017 Q1 2,419 2,220 144 81 33 4,897 4 30 34 256 117 - 373 8 23 60 5,395
2017 Q2 2,670 2,479 161 114 33 5,457 4 35 39 272 114 - 386 9 23 59 5,973
2017 Q3 3,002 2,899 171 137 28 6,237 3 43 46 289 113 - 402 9 28 60 6,782
2017 Q4 3,245 3,237 177 168 25 6,852 5 39 44 292 113 - 405 9 28 60 7,398
2018 Q1 3,562 3,752 194 190 23 7,721 6 38 44 318 115 - 433 9 27 61 8,295
2018 Q2 3,810 4,335 255 192 26 8,618 11 43 54 336 107 - 443 8 27 60 9,210
2018 Q3 4,241 4,869 287 189 27 9,613 14 49 63 362 106 - 468 8 28 68 10,248
2018 Q4 4,520 5,008 814 189 30 10,561 15 53 68 383 104 - 487 9 29 84 11,238
2019 Q1 5,024 5,003 1,366 184 30 11,607 15 58 73 416 103 - 519 9 26 105 12,339
2019 Q2 5,414 5,003 1,835 178 29 12,459 19 66 85 468 95 - 563 10 26 117 13,260
2019 Q3 6,238 5,001 2,376 176 30 13,821 32 62 94 496 100 - 596 10 30 130 14,681
2019 Q4 7,020 5,001 2,910 165 28 15,124 46 68 114 563 100 - 663 10 30 163 16,104
2020 Q1 8,114 5,021 3,454 168 30 16,787 50 81 131 632 100 - 732 9 31 183 17,873
2020 Q2 8,428 4,890 3,677 158 28 17,181 57 82 139 647 98 - 745 8 27 177 18,277
2020 Q3 10,398 4,758 5,522 148 29 20,855 76 96 172 745 90 - 835 8 31 194 22,095

1. Ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) are vehicles that are reported to emit less than 75g of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the tailpipe for every kilometre travelled. In practice, the term typically refers to battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. These figures are subject to minor revision between quarterly publications when individual vehicles are reviewed against the criteria. See Notes and Definitions for more information on how reported emissions are calculated.

2. Plug-in grant eligibility is applied to all vehicles of eligible models at the date of latest table update. Therefore earlier data in the series may be changed retrospectively as models are added to the eligible list. In addition, if a vehicle becomes ineligible for the plug-in grant, it will remain in this list for historical comparison. For more details, see: https://www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants/eligibility

3. Changes to the Plug-in Car Grant came into effect on 21 October 2018 and 12 March 2020. Vehicles registered for the first time on or after these dates are categorised using the new eligibility criteria. There may be some cars that were purchased with a plug-in car grant but were registered for the first time after this date. For more information about the changes, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plug-in-car-grant-changes-to-grant-level-november-2018/upcoming-changes-to-the-plug-in-car-grant

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plug-in-vehicle-grants-update-following-todays-budget

4. Some powerful electric bikes have to be registered as mopeds and will be included here. For more details, see: https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules

Figure 13.5: Ultra Low Emission Vehicles licensed in Scotland - growth from 2016 Q1 to 2020 Q3

Figure 13.5: Ultra Low Emission Vehicles licensed in Scotland - growth from 2016 Q1 to 2020 Q3

 

Table 13.9: Number of new registrations by body type and propulsion type in Scotland during 2019 (Thousands)
Propulsion type
Diesel Electric diesel Electricity Fuel cells Gas Gas bi-fuel Gas-diesel Hybrid electric New fuel technology Petrol Petrol/gas Steam Grand Total
Body type thousand
Agricultural 2.3 - c - - - - - - 0.8 - c 3.2
Buses & coaches 0.7 - c - - - - - - c - - 0.7
Cars 45.8 0.1 2.6 - - c - 9.2 - 120.0 - - 177.7
Goods - heavy 3.9 - c - 0.0 - - - - c - - 3.9
Goods - light 24.7 - 0.2 - - c - 0.0 - 0.3 - - 25.2
Motorcycles, mopeds & scooters - - 0.1 - - - - - - 6.5 - c 6.5
Others 1 2.3 - 0.5 - 0.0 - c - c 0.1 - - 2.9
Special Purpose 0.0 - - - - - - - - - - - 0.0
Taxis 0.4 - - - - - - 0.1 - - - - 0.5
Tricycles c - - - - - - - - 0.0 - - 0.0
Grand Total 80.1 0.1 3.4 - 0.1 - - 9.3 - 127.7 - - 220.7

Source: DVLA/DfT

c. Value has been suppressed to avoid disclosing personal information.

~ denotes fewer than 50.

1. Iincludes Invalid Vehicle (Mobility scooters), Lift Trucks, Tel Material Handlers, Hydraulic Excavator, Rear Digger, Ambulance, Fire Engine, Street Cleansing, Roller and Loading Shovel.

Pure Electric 'others' are Invalid vehicles or Lift Trucks.

 

Table 13.10: Number of licensed vehicles by body type and propulsion type in Scotland as at 31 December 2019 (Thousands)
Propulsion type
Diesel Electric diesel Electricity Fuel cells Gas Gas bi-fuel Gas-diesel Hybrid electric New fuel tech-nology Petrol Petrol/gas Steam Grand total
Body type thousand
Agricultural 50.1 - 0.0 - 0.0 - - - - 5.1 0.0 0.0 55.3
Buses & coaches 14.0 - 0.0 - - c c - - 0.2 c - 14.2
Cars 1,034.3 0.5 6.9 c 0.0 0.6 0.0 34.3 0.0 1,447.3 0.5 c 2,524.5
Goods - heavy 36.7 - 0.0 - 0.1 c c - - 0.1 0.0 c 36.8
Goods - light 300.1 - 0.6 - 0.0 0.2 - 0.1 0.0 6.5 0.1 0.0 307.6
Motorcycles, mopeds & scooters 0.0 - 0.1 - c - - - - 71.5 c c 71.7
Not recorded 0.2 - 0.0 - - - - - - 0.1 - c 0.3
Others 1 20.3 - 4.3 - 0.1 0.0 0.0 c c 1.0 0.0 0.0 25.8
Special purpose 0.3 - 0.0 - - - - - - 0.0 c 0.0 0.3
Taxis 3.2 - - - - 0.0 - 0.1 - 0.0 - - 3.4
Tricycles 0.0 - c - c - - - - 1.0 c - 1.0
Grand Total 1,459.3 0.5 12.1 - 0.2 0.8 0.0 34.4 0.0 1,532.7 0.6 0.1 3,040.8

Source: DVLA/DfT

c. Value has been suppressed to avoid disclosing personal information.

~ denotes fewer than 50.

1. Iincludes Invalid Vehicle (Mobility scooters), Lift Trucks, Tel Material Handlers, Hydraulic Excavator, Rear Digger, Ambulance, Fire Engine, Street Cleansing, Roller and Loading Shovel.

Pure Electric 'others' are Invalid vehicles or Lift Trucks.

 

Table 13.11: ChargePlace Scotland: Total electric vehicle charge points by local authority boundary
  2017 2018 2019 2020
Aberdeen City 43 46 50 63
Aberdeenshire 19 32 48 69
Angus 16 25 42 49
Argyll and Bute 24 29 40 58
City of Edinburgh 44 56 69 70
Clackmannanshire 12 13 15 20
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 19 19 22 23
Dumfries and Galloway 17 20 26 40
Dundee City 34 62 73 83
East Ayrshire 10 14 34 49
East Dunbartonshire 6 6 15 18
East Lothian 12 34 53 96
East Renfrewshire 8 9 13 13
Falkirk 12 14 20 38
Fife 43 50 67 75
Glasgow City 73 80 119 137
Highland 40 54 78 126
Inverclyde 13 13 17 21
Midlothian 21 22 25 33
Moray 11 13 21 23
North Ayrshire 16 24 31 36
North Lanarkshire 23 30 37 63
Orkney Islands 14 14 23 26
Perth and Kinross 41 47 53 50
Renfrewshire 20 23 31 47
Scottish Borders 23 24 32 37
Shetland Islands 12 13 13 19
South Ayrshire 9 13 24 35
South Lanarkshire 14 15 50 74
Stirling 22 22 42 47
West Dunbartonshire 12 15 18 18
West Lothian 19 25 25 36
Total 702 876 1,226 1,592

 

Table 13.12: Monthly charging events and kWh drawn 2020
Month 2020 Charging Events kWh Drawn
January 83,403 1,004,889
February 82,000 1,015,874
March 65,313 820,098
April 25,109 327,231
May 32,604 427,126
June 40,764 549,829
July 59,790 789,532
August 72,291 959,876
September 77,256 1,036,676
October 83,622 1,209,614
November 79,839 1,143,415
December 80,953 1,193,274
Total 782,944 10,477,436

Notes:

1. ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) (www.chargeplacescotland.org) is the national network of publicly available Electric Vehicle charge points, funded by the Scottish Government.

2. Data is sourced from the ChargePlace Scotland back-office system. Usage data is based on valid charging sessions recorded by the back-office. A valid charging event is considered to be over 1 kWh drawn and whereby the session was longer than 120 seconds.

3. The kWh Drawn is the total energy provided during a charging event. If energy is transferred at a constant rate over a period of time, the total energy transferred in kilowatt hours is equal to the power in kilowatts multiplied by the time in hours.

 

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