eFife - Electric Vehicles

Business can benefit too!

We also have a fleet of EVs, which staff can use when they’re on official council business. Using these vehicles help reduce our CO₂ emissions and minimise air pollution. It also means that, as an organisation, we use less diesel as fuel.

The main financial benefits for employers include:

• Low company car tax (or associated Employer National Insurance Contributions)
• 100 per cent First Year Allowance* (FYA) – meaning organisations can offset the whole purchase cost against taxable profits in the first year
• UK Government Grant - applied directly at dealerships, a discount of 35% (up to a maximum of £3,500) of the price of a new EV is currently available. For electric vans, it’s 20% (up to a maximum of £8,000). For more info, visit the UK Government website
• Interest-free loans of up to £120,000, funded by Transport Scotland, are available to Scottish businesses to help lower their transport and travel costs.
• Funding to install a charge point at your business

*Only businesses not taking advantage of the UK Plug-in Grants are eligible for FYA

Have a look at these other websites to see how your business could benefit from going electric!

Energy Saving Trust

Net Zero Nation

UK Government

Fife Council maintains a network of EV charging points throughout the Kingdom, available for public use.

We have three different types of charging points:

• 50kW Siemens and eVolt Rapid chargers
• 22 kW eVolt fast chargers
• 7kW eVolt and trickle chargers

There are over 40 public EV charging points across Fife. These are mainly at long stay car parks in town centres, and at public transport interchanges such as railway stations and park & rides. We will continue to expand the number of EV charging points.

Fife Council has rapid chargers at:

• Petheram Bridge car park, St Andrews
• Halbeath Park and Ride – 2
• Halbeath Depot
• Bankhead Central, Glenrothes - 2
• Glasswork St car park, Kirkcaldy

A map of ALL charging point types, locations and instructions can be found on the ChargePlace Scotland website.

From midnight on 16 November 2020, fees will be in place to connect to and use the public charging points across Fife. The new charges will be:

• Connection fee: £1.60 per charging session
• Energy: Electricity will be charged at 15p/kWh

To access the network and start charging your EV, simply register for a  ChargePlace Scotland account and order an access card by putting a cross in the appropriate box. There is a one off fee of £10 for this card, which will be added to your account. Once your access card arrives, you can then use it to charge your EV at any charge point displayed on our live map. We do recommend ordering an RFID card, due to the remote location of some chargers impacting phone signal for app use.

The ChargePlace Scotland website and mobile app allow EV drivers to manage their accounts, start and stop charges, and access information about the charging network. They also provide 24/7 telephone support and email support for both drivers and the charge point owners, as well as a social media presence.

Accessing the network - Charge Place Scotland

For 7 kW and 22kW eVolt chargers - to charge a vehicle:

1. Check that the doors on the charge points are closed. If you plug your cable into an already open point, then you risk getting your cable stuck.
2. Begin by plugging your cable into your vehicle.
3. Place and hold the Access Card over the reader.
4. The available socket door will release at the front of the charging unit.
5. Place your plug into the socket and make sure that the plug is in correctly (otherwise it won’t charge your vehicle).
6. The lights will change colour from green to blue on the corresponding socket to indicate that charging has started.

To stop charging:

1. Place and hold the Access Card over the reader.
2. The display will change, and the charger will release the cable.
3. Remove the plug and close socket door.
4. Unplug cable from car, close flap on vehicle and stow cable in the vehicle.

Detailed instructions on how to charge your car can be found below

• How to use Charging guide

You can report a fault, or a stuck cable, by calling chargeplacescotland.org on 0141 648 0750.

Unless within a Conservation Area or where a building is a Listed Building, Planning permission is not usually needed for the installation of wall-mounted EV charging points. This should be in areas lawfully used for off-street parking and providing certain conditions are met.

For more information, please contact us via our Get in touch with the planning team online form.

Electric vehicle owners who have their own driveway can install a charging point at home, within their boundary.

Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, it is not permitted to place an obstruction, including but not limited to, a cable or wire, over, along or across a public road or footway without the permission of the Roads Authority.

The Council, in its capacity as Roads Authority, does not permit the trailing of cables across a footway or road for the purpose of charging a vehicle, even if it’s within in a cable protector. To do so may be hazardous to pedestrians, particularly if they have a disability, and is an offence under the above Act.

If you wish to report trailing cables or other footway obstructions, you can do so by emailing Transportation.Services@Fife.gov.uk