On Tuesday 28th July, Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity unveiled Transport Scotland's Rail Services Decarbonisation Plan which seeks to decarbonise the Scottish rail network with a commitment as part of the Programme for Government to decarbonise passenger rail services by 2035.
Read more here
https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/rail-services-decarbonisation-action-plan/
Energy Economy and Fair Work Committee - Evidence Session
This feeds into policy creation, including the development of enhanced opportunities to increase the electrification of transport. This session was primarily focussed on road vehicles, home and public charging, the impact and possible benefits of EVs on the electricity networks, as well as future impact that will be brought by the electrification of heat.
Video of the session can be found here, with the BBC report here.
A key takeaway was that the groups represented had significant consensus on many subject areas. Development of infrastructure policy allowing for anticipatory investment in networks, both in terms of capacity and technical support solutions. Economic benefits will arise from EV uptake, with SPEN highlighting the addition jobs that will be created in enhancing and then supporting infrastructure, as well as the EVA Scotland position that suitably placed infrastructure will offer potential support for local, particularly rural, communities.
We were also able to highlight some of the issues faced by local authorities in managing the infrastructure and the need for greater guidance in the design of local EV networks. The need for a near-universal tariff system as well as roaming, allowing a single account to be used across most if not all charging networks were also highlighted.
