EV DRIVERS URGED TO ACT AHEAD OF CHARGER NETWORK SWITCH

Electric vehicle drivers across Argyll and Bute, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland are being reminded to prepare now for a major change to public charging.

ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) will cease operations later this year, and ScottishPower have been appointed to operate the Council-owned public networks from March.

The move will happen between March 2 and March 6, depending on location.

What this means for drivers

ScottishPower will take on the same role as CPS including

• Mapping chargers so that customers can find them

• Providing customer payment facilities and taking payments

• Managing the day-to-day operation of the chargers, including maintenance co-ordination and charging session initiation

• Providing the 24/7 customer helpline (0800 001 5234)

It is proposed that council-owned public chargers will be moving to the ScottishPower network on the following dates:

Argyll and Bute Council– Monday 2 March and Tuesday 3 March

Western Isles Council – Tuesday 3 March -Thursday 5 March

Orkney Islands Council– Wednesday 4 March and Thursday 5 March

Shetland Islands Council – Thursday 5 March and Friday 6 March

The dates are subject to technical compatibility and travel disruption from the weather, so customers are urged to remain watchful of changes at each charger.

Minimum charges on council-owned chargers will be dropped and industry standard pre-authorisation fees will be applied instead. These will be:

£25 pre-authorisation when paying through the ScottishPower app or via a ScottishPower RFID card
£45 pre-authorisation if paying by a contactless bank card.

If paying with a roaming partner’s app or RFID card you will need to check their own pre-authorisation fees.

Council specific overstay fees will remain unchanged.

Action needed

The upcoming change and action required by drivers was announced before Christmas.

Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS), which procured the new operator, issued guidance to ensure a smooth transition, here: https://hitrans.org.uk/notice-for-ev-drivers-customer-action-required-as-charging-networks-change-2/

As soon as a charger moves from CPS to ScottishPower’s network, existing CPS RFID cards will no longer work on that charger.

During the move, there will be days when some chargers will be operated by ScottishPower and some by CPS.

Customers requiring a charge during the move period will need to be able to access both networks.

It is recommended that all EV drivers living in or visiting Argyll and Bute, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland take action to ensure they can still charge on the public network during and after March.

What you need to do

Download the ScottishPower Recharge App (via the App Store or Google Play).

It can be used to find chargers; start, stop and pay for charging sessions and access charging history.

Order a new RFID card. This can be a ScottishPower card (allow up to a week for delivery) or a roaming card such as Zapmap or Electroverse (these may take longer for delivery).

Drivers are also advised to fully charge their vehicles ahead of the switchover dates to minimise disruption on moving days.

For anyone needing to travel on those days, CMAL chargers serving ferry terminals will be unaffected by this move and any alternative networks can be found on the ZapMap website or App.

Andy Mouat, Head of Smart Mobility at ScottishPower, said: “We’re looking forward to delivering for EV users in the Highlands and Islands, supporting wider access to rapid charging and swift, easy-to-use services.”