East Lothian Council EV Chargepoints new tariffs

The cost for re-fuelling from many of East Lothian Council’s chargers will change on 1 July 2023.

Following recent trials of lower rates for charging at off-peak times, this functionality will also be expanded to encourage all users to charge their vehicle outwith the 4pm to 8pm period when demand for electricity is greatest. These are the times when wind, hydro and solar power are most likely to be supplemented carbon-intensive gas or coal-generated power.

The new rates reflect the cost of electricity and other related costs to East Lothian Council but are tiered to ensure that people who are not able to charge at home have local options to charging at a similar rates.

Therefore the cheapest rates at the council’s many On-Street and Destination charging sites will only slightly exceed the Standard Variable Rate electricity price cap (once VAT is included), as set by UK Government’s Energy Price Guarantee.  This ensures that those with a safe place to park and charge privately are not encouraged to use public chargers unnecessarily. For comparison, the RAC estimates that, converted to comparable pence per kWh, rates are £0.60 for petrol and £0.70 for diesel.

Cllr John McMillan, Cabinet Member for Environment, Economic Development and Tourism said: “The council does not make a profit on operating chargers, but we must recoup enough to cover our energy bills and support ongoing work to ensure that everyone has access to a charger when they need one”.

East Lothian Council (ELC) currently own and operate one of the largest and most varied portfolios of EV chargers in Scotland with the highest number of sites within a short walk/wheel of most people that don’t have a safe place to park and charge at home. Suggestions for new locations for additional On-Street charging sites are welcomed and people should provide their suggestions via email evcharging@eastlothian.gov.uk .

For those households that for various reasons are unlikely to ever have a public charger within easy reach, the council recently published this guidance whether you might be able to safely run a cable from your home to your car. It’s recognised that this is only suitable for a small number of locations, and so the council will continue to explore opportunities to trial emerging technologies such as on-street cable gullies, lighting column mounted chargers and retractable cable arms.

EVA Scotland have been consulted, as representatives of electric vehicle drivers, and state: "While no one enjoys seeing prices rise, the ELC tariff change reflects their increased energy costs, need to support and expand charging infrastructure as well as an environmentally sound approach to reducing charging demand on the Grid at peak times.

For further background information on current charge tariffs and cost comparisons click here.