Switched on Scotland: A roadmap to widespread adoption of plug in vehicles

Ministerial Foreword

In 2013, we published our plug-in vehicle Roadmap, Switched On Scotland. The Roadmap set out a comprehensive strategy and a suite of actions to realise our ambitious vision of freeing Scotland’s towns, cities and communities from the damaging emissions of petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles by 2050.

Achieving this vision is important for several reasons. It will play a major role in almost completely eradicating CO2 emissions from the road transport sector. It will help remove harmful pollutants from our air and improve the health and wellbeing of people across Scotland. It was help us make the most of our ever expanding renewable energy sector and also support the creation of new jobs and business opportunities across the plug-in vehicle supply chain and wider economy.

This is a fast moving area, technology is rapidly evolving and the plug-in vehicle market is growing. To ensure we are making progress towards our vision and continue to have an action plan in place that complements the current state of the market, we are undertaking a refresh of the Roadmap.

This report represents the first phase of the refresh process. It takes a detailed look at progress we’ve made since 2013, against the goals and actions in the Roadmap. There are key areas of success, for example: every one of Scotland’s 32 community planning partnerships now have plug-in vehicles in their fleets; plug-in only taxi and car club fleets are operating in Scotland; and we have one of the most comprehensive networks of rapid charging points in Europe.

We are using this document as the basis for engagement and consultation with members of our E-cosse plug-in vehicle partnership which comprises more than 150 different organisations, including vehicle manufacturers, charge point suppliers, councils and universities, and other public and private sector organisations. This engagement will inform the development of a refreshed plug-in vehicle action plan, which we will publish by Spring 2017.

This is an exciting area with the potential for a widespread transformation in the way we travel and a variety of climate, health and economic benefits. I’d like to thank partners for their input to E-cosse and delivery of the Roadmap to date and I look forward to working with you as we move forward.

Humza Yousaf
Minister for Transport and the Islands