Electric Vehicle Charging
What is the Electric Vehicle Charging provision in Glasgow?
As of January 2024, the Council had installed 335 live charge points across 175 units for public use in Glasgow, including off-street hubs and 16 'Rapid' units that will charge most vehicles 80% in approximately 30 minutes.
A further 28 units are currently being completed.
In the 12 months from January to December 2023, the Council's public EV infrastructure was used for just under 145 thousand sessions consuming 2.76 million kWh. This is the equivalent of approximately 8 million emission free miles and a diversion of approximately 1.56 thousand tonnes of CO2. (Data provided by ChargePlace Scotland). All Council chargers are connected to the Charge Place Scotland (CPS) network and users can register for an RFID card on their website. Chargers can also be accessed using their mobile app.
A list of publicly available charge points, including those provided by the council and other organisations can be found on the Charge Place Scotland website.
6 units are available exclusively for taxis and private hire vehicles and 6 units for goods vehicles at Newton Street Car park. More details in the Commercial EV Hub section below.
20 units are for exclusive or shared use by Car Club vehicles. For more information visit the Co-wheels website.
Details of all Glasgow City Council owned chargers are available on the National Chargepoint Registry.
More information can be found on our FAQ's.
EV Charging Tariff
In April 2021 the City Administration Committee (CAC) approved the Council's EV charge point policy and the introduction of a tariff and an overstay fee for the electricity consumed in the public electric vehicle charge point network.
Due to various issues, implementation of the tariff was delayed however the first tariff was introduced on 11 April 2023.
From 1 March 2024 tariff arrangements will be as follows:
Please also note that separate Parking Enforcement may be in operation at locations and drivers should also ensure they are aware of parking restrictions to avoid any enforcement action. Where there are parking fees at these locations, these also apply to Electric Vehicles.
The Tariff includes a Connection Fee and a rate for the electricity consumed:
| Charging Unit | Connection Fee |
|---|---|
| All Charging Units | £1.00 per session |
| Charging Unit | Rate per kWh |
|---|---|
| Standard Charging Units (max 7 - 22kW) | £0.40 per kWh |
| Rapid Charging Units (max 50 - 150kW) | £0.70 per kWh |
Note the rate is applied for each charging unit and not at a connector level.
An overstay charge of £40 will be automatically applied at all chargers after the Maximum duration. The council reserves the right to apply a grace period.
| Charging Unit | Maximum Duration |
|---|---|
| All Rapid Charging Units | 90 minutes |
| On-Street Standard Charging Units in City Centre | 2 hours between 8am - 8pm |
| On-Street Standard Charging Units in rest of city | 3 hours between 8am - 8pm |
| Standard Charging Units in Council family Car Parks | 12 hours |
| Charging Unit | Rate perkWh | Connection Fee | Overstay Fee | Location | Max Stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Charging Unit | £0.70 | £1.00 | £40 | All locations | 90 minutes |
| Standard Charging Unit | £0.40 | £1.00 | £40 | On-Street City Centre | 2 hours between 8am - 8pm |
| On-Street Rest of City | 3 hours between 8am - 8pm | ||||
| Off-Street Car Parks | 12 hours |
The tariff will be reviewed on a regular basis.
Tariff information and a QR code for further information is displayed on all charging units as well as on the Charge Place Scotland live maps, App, and website. The tariff still applies even if the tariff notices are missing or damaged.
The Council do not hold any Charge Place Scotland account details and any issues regarding billing, payments or tariff collection issues should be directed to ChargePlace Scotland who administer the charging units and tariff collection on our behalf.
Please note that no refunds will be made for any overstay fees incurred due to sessions going over the Maximum Charging Duration and ChargePlace Scotland cannot authorise any refunds.
The overstay charge will be applied directly to the payment method used. We encourage drivers to acquaint yourselves with the Maximum Charging Duration in operation at each charging unit and regularly check your CPS account status especially if payment method is via Invoice.
Commercial EV Charging Hub
Following award of grant funding from the Switched-On Towns and Cities Fund, the Council has created a Commercial EV Charging Hub at Newton Street Car Park. The Hub provides 1x 150kW Ultra Rapid Charger and 5x 50kW Rapid Chargers for exclusive use of licenced Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles, and 6x 50kW Rapid Chargers for exclusive use of Goods Vehicles.
These units are not published on the Charge Place Scotland live maps and so for convenience are listed here:
CPS ID | Charging Unit (1 EV Bay per unit) |
60037 | Newton Street Car Park (Ultra Rapid) - Taxis and PH ONLY |
60038 | Newton Street Car Park - Taxis and PH ONLY |
60039 | Newton Street Car Park - Taxis and PH ONLY |
60040 | Newton Street Car Park - Taxis and PH ONLY |
60041 | Newton Street Car Park - Taxis and PH ONLY |
60042 | Newton Street Car Park - Taxis and PH ONLY |
60043 | Newton Street Car Park - Goods Vehicles ONLY |
60044 | Newton Street Car Park - Goods Vehicles ONLY |
60045 | Newton Street Car Park - Goods Vehicles ONLY |
60046 | Newton Street Car Park - Goods Vehicles ONLY |
60047 | Newton Street Car Park - Goods Vehicles ONLY |
60048 | Newton Street Car Park - Goods Vehicles ONLY |
The Tariff for all units from 1 March 2024 is detailed below. Note the rate is applied for each charging unit and not at a connector level.
Please also note that separate Parking Enforcement is in operation at this location and drivers should also ensure they are aware of parking restrictions to avoid any enforcement action. Parking fees at this location also apply to Electric Vehicles.
Charging Unit | Rate per kWh | Connection Fee | Overstay Fee | Max Stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ultra / Rapid Charging Unit | £0.70 | £1.00 | £40 | 90 minutes |
The Council do not hold any Charge Place Scotland account details and any issues regarding billing, payments or tariff collection issues should be directed to ChargePlace Scotland who administer the charging units and tariff collection on our behalf.
Please note that no refunds will be made for any overstay fees incurred due to sessions going over the Maximum Charging Duration and ChargePlace Scotland cannot authorise any refunds.
Details of our other Charging Units are available from Charge Place Scotland.
Future plans
Installations have been possible due to grant funding from several sources including Transport Scotland, Energy Savings Trust (EST) and the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), now Department for Energy Strategy and Net Zero. All funding is now allocated, and no further installations are currently planned.
However, it is acknowledged that this is not sufficient for the rising demand due to increased EV ownership and so the Council's future EV Strategy (PDF, 3 MB)(opens new window) and forward programme for EV Charging Infrastructure was approved at the City Administration Committee in November 2023. Our proposed strategy incorporates research undertaken by external consultants on behalf of Glasgow City Region and considers rising demand and potential numbers, locations, funding streams and the national agenda which emphasises the required involvement of the private sector in delivering EVCI.
The Council agreed at City Administration Committee in April 2024 to proceed with a regional concession tender process to secure a step change in public electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the city and wider region.
Support for installations
We unfortunately cannot respond to individual requests from citizens or businesses for new chargers on the public realm.
We also currently do not allow charging cables to be laid across pavements as this could be a safety hazard. This includes any use of cable gullies.
For Businesses or individual users without a dedicated parking space, an option may be to have a charge point installed at a workplace. Grants may be available for businesses from the Energy Saving Trust and more information can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website. Other grants and loans may also be available from the Office of Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV) and Transport Scotland.
Enquiries regarding the installation of chargers at private communal carparks should be directed to the owner, landlord or factor of the site. There is currently no funding available from the council for private installation.
Parking Charges and Enforcement
As demand on the network continues to rise, enforcement of spaces is critical for the user experience and crucial to maintaining user confidence specifically in the network and in EVs generally.
Our public EV Charging infrastructure has been located at existing parking bays. Many of these bays have Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) in place. These apply 24 hours a day and restrictions will be enforced by Parking Attendants and, if necessary, the issuing of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs).
Where there are parking fees at these locations these also apply to Electric Vehicles.
Most of these TROs have a specific Electric Vehicle element to them, meaning that the bay can be restricted to EVs only. Further EV specific TROs will be applied to the remaining bays however, this requires a lengthy statutory process to be undertaken to adapt standard parking bays to account for EVs. Phase one of the TRO process is distributed to statutory consultees, for example the police and fire services. Phase 2 is then open to the public. No signage or alterations to bay markings is permitted until the consultation process is complete and the weight of the responses are positive. Similarly, no enforcement of these spaces can be undertaken until the TRO is in place.
Drivers should always look for signage at charge points and bays to be sure which restrictions apply to each location. Where there are parking fees at these locations these also apply to Electric Vehicles.
Information on Parking Enforcement requests and enquiries can be found here.
Reporting faults on the network
Any faults found on the ChargePlace Scotland network can be reported via the ChargePlace Scotland app, by using the fault reporting form or by calling ChargePlace Scotland on 0141 648 0750.
Faults should not be reported to the council as the unit may not be one of ours.
Air Quality
Glasgow is key to Scotland's air quality improvement success and unlocking the Region's full economic potential to make it the low-carbon 'growth engine' for the area.
Glasgow has introduced Scotland's first Low Emission Zone (LEZ), further driving the demand for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV).
Glasgow's LEZ will apply to all vehicle types, except for motorbikes and mopeds, and those vehicle types or uses considered exempt - this would include emergency vehicles and vehicles for disabled persons, including blue badge holders.
Phase 1 of Glasgow's LEZ applies to local service buses only, however when Phase 2 is enforced from 1 June 2023, all vehicles entering the city centre zone must meet the required emission standards to avoid a penalty.
Zone residents will have an extra year to comply, with enforcement starting from 1 June 2024. The vehicle must be registered to a residential address within the LEZ zone area to qualify for this grace period.
Electric vehicles will be compliant.
The Council adopted Glasgow's Active Travel Strategy 2022-2031 (PDF, 7 MB)(opens new window) at the City Administration Committee on 24 February 2022.
The strategy supports the City's ambitious commitments by 2030 to:
- A minimum 30% reduction in car kilometres travelled.
- 'Vision Zero' of no deaths or serious injuries on our roads, streets, footpaths or cycle ways.
- Achieve Net Zero Carbon (PDF, 15 MB)(opens new window).
Recent research suggests the average vehicle is only used for 9 hours a week, meaning it takes up valuable parking or road space the remaining 159 hours.
Car clubs offer solutions to EV ownership cost barriers, congestion, parking limitations and air quality issues. They also better match the Councils vision of a sustainable, equitable and healthy, future city.
More information on Car Club vehicle locations can be found on the Co-Wheels website (opens new window).
In addition, electric bikes (eBikes) have been introduced to the City's Nextbike cycle hire scheme. For more information visit the Next Bike website (opens new window).
Related Content
Related Documents
Related Pages
Related Links
- Charge Place Scotland (opens new window)
- Green Fleet (opens new window)
- Energy Savings Trust Scotland (opens new window)
- Office for Low Emission Vehicles (opens new window)
- Co-Wheels Car Club (opens new window)
- Future City Smarter Travel Glasgow (opens new window)
- Next Bike (opens new window)
Share this page
