Falkirk Council is set to hike prices at its electric vehicle charging points as increasing energy prices mean the money they bring in falls short of their cost to the council.
A report to the council's executive next week reveals that in 2021/22 the council spent £62,348 on electricity supply for public charging points, and received an income of £56,727.
By December 22, the figures show that the Council has spent £70,673 on electricity supply and received an income of just £38,231, meaning this year it will recover just over half the costs.
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The report highlights that the money brought in does not cover other costs such as maintenance, annual services, signage replacement, and data management.
The charging tariff is currently set at £0.25 per kWh with a minimum of £1 spend for each charging session with a £5 overstay charge.
In a bid to cover the costs, members of Falkirk Council's executive will be asked to agree to raising EV charging tariffs to: fast / AC (7kW or 22kW): £0.48 per kWh; Rapid / DC: £0.69 per kWh; and Ultra-Rapid / DC: £0.75 per kWh (due by summer 2023/24).
They will also be asked to agree increasing the minimum spend to £5 and to approve an increase of the overstay charge for Fast, Rapid and Ultra-Rapid chargers as follows.
If councillors agree, the overstay charges will be:
• Fast / AC – (22kW only) £12 after first 4 hours plus 10 minutes grace; and £12 subsequently after every 4-hour duration
• Rapid / DC - £20 after first 60 minutes plus 10 minutes grace;
and £20 every subsequent hour
• Ultra-Rapid / DC - £30 after first 40 minutes plus 10 minutes
grace; and £30 every subsequent 40 minutes.
There are currently 57 EVCPs at 28 locations across the Falkirk Council area with an additional 32 due to be installed at 10 locations over the next year.
Most of these have been funded through Transport Scotland’s annual ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) grant.
While increasing the tariff will help Falkirk Council's financial position, the report also makes clear that investment of £3-400 million will be needed for a massive expansion of EV chargepoints in the next few years.
Most of this is expected to come from the private sector and free or below cost EV charging by local authorities is currently deterring private sector investment in the market.
The proposal will be discussed at Falkirk Council's executive meeting on Tuesday, which will be livestreamed. The reports are available online.
