HITRANS appoint EV Charge Point Network Operator

HITRANS is to help drive the expansion of the electric vehicle charging network across parts of the Highlands and Islands.

The Regional Transport Partnership now provides a central EV infrastructure resource for the Councils in Argyll and Bute, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland (in agreement with ZetTrans).

Since 2011, the Scottish Government has invested more than £65 million in expanding public EV charging across the country, but as the publicly-funded Charge Place Scotland (CPS) contract comes to an end, charge points are required to migrate to new operators.

HITRANS has now procured a Charge Point Network Operator (CPNO) encompassing the roles of mapping, payment provider, charge point management system and driver helpline.

This is seen as an essential step towards securing greater private investment to expand the network.

Scottish Power Energy Retail Ltd successfully bid for the contract and will be helping HITRANS and local councils build a more reliable and customer-focused network, particularly in rural and island areas.

Scottish Power utilises the Fuuse back office, providing features such as customisable charge point configuration, flexible tariff structures, real-time monitoring, increasing automation and the capacity to share chargers.

The councils will continue to set their own tariffs, collect payment from customers and be kept up to date with fault resolution.

Scottish Power offers the capability and experience to manage the network fully as the regional strategy develops.

Further network developments under investigation include using locally-generated energy to power chargers and innovative technologies such as battery storage. Scottish Power also affords expertise here, in energy generation, distribution and innovation.

There are at present 123 Council-owned public chargers across the 4 Council  areas

• 37 in Argyll and Bute, which has a population of 87,810 and 461,000 annual visitors.
• The Western Isles, with a population of 26,720 and 219,000 visitors excluding cruise liners), has 29.
• Orkney (22,270 population and 192,000 visitors excluding cruise liners) has 30.
• Shetland (22,900 population and 80,000 visitors excluding cruise liners) has 27.

Just over half the chargers will be migrated to the new CPNO this winter, with the remainder due to be replaced and commissioned in the first half of 2026 .

Drivers can download and use Scottish Power’s Recharge App to access chargers and pay, and/or request new RFID account cards from Scottish Power. More driver information will be provided by Councils and Scottish Power before the migration.

Council-operated public EV charging units in Highland, Moray, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are currently moving from Charge Place Scotland to a new operator, EZO.

Drivers travelling through the HITRANS area will be able to seamlessly charge at EZO and Scottish Power chargers via roaming partners/multi-network operators, retaining EV charging connectivity across the region.

Councils also have the option to migrate all their fleet chargers to the same CPNO through this contract.

For further information contact Gemma, gemma.robinson@hitrans.org.uk

Councillor Uisdean Robertson, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s Chair of Transportation & Infrastructure Committee said, “I’m delighted to see this regional collaboration result in a new Charge Point Network Operator that considers both the short-term needs of residents, businesses and visitors across the region as well as the future expansion plans of the network. This is a step towards securing private investment in our rural and island charging, crucial to developing a more reliable and resilient regional network and encouraging EV uptake and its role in transport decarbonisation. ”

Shetland Island’s Council Councillor Moraig Lyall said that ‘along with the recent Transport Scotland funding announcement which will allow a number of the existing charge points to be upgraded, this is an important additional step which will further improve the charging network for local residents and visitors alike.’

Chris Carberry, ScottishPower’s Strategic Development Director, said: “We are delighted to be working with HITRANS to help facilitate a sustainable transition to electric vehicles across the region. We know that rural areas often face more challenges when it comes to accessing charging infrastructure, and we are committed to working with HITRANS to improve this and support wider public access to rapid charging for their vehicles as we all move towards a Net Zero future.”