 Yn Yongwch rhywun nopbwysig warn configuration fusins,f na hefyd, ondd ei gwas sour innw Feuer 1, 2, 9, 1 fel sydd yn fydag savings yn cael ei cynnag o gyhoedd digonau grid yn gweithiau Feoedd yn rhan Peter Springref yn sexych, llyw gyntaf, lan-i Gwneith widerwm am ddiangos y TV ninp companies yng Nghymru Nid Oses nhw fel ei gollum ο heddi pan refugee fawr yn hyn, nid o holl fartos, nowr troffwyr mall, dw i ni ar ddim yn cael holl Seven minutes. I'm very pleased that today's motion received cross-party support, and I thank all the members who backed it. As it highlights to me, the Parliament recognises Scotland's role in reducing global warming and the importance of electric car travel in reducing our nation's carbon footprint. As members will know, in December last year, I leased a Nissan Leaf electric car i ddweud o'r rhaid o'r 90 mili i'r mwyntinu ac yn ddafod. Rwy'n gweithio'n gwybod i'r cymwyllt mwy o'r cystidio ar gyfer Skylwch Aber a Badnoch, ddwy'n ddwy o'r llwy o'r cystidio o'r cystidio, ac i ddwy'n ddiwrnod ym Mryddaeth, ychydig i edrych pan oedd yn ddwy o'r cystidio, ond mae'n mynd o wlad gyfosu diwylliannol o'r cymwyllt mwy o'r cystidio, oedd y gyrwyddaeth o'r mawr. Ond mae'n gyfosu o'r Cyllwydd from Inverness to Edinburgh via Fort William, a journey of about 200 miles with only three stops. That could have been two stops if there was a rapid charging point at Calender. That brings me to my first point. There are not enough rapid charge points, particularly in the Highlands and in rural areas. Rapid charge points enable electric cars to get an 80 per cent boost in half an hour. There are fast charge points, but they take considerably longer. The lack of rapid charge points is off-putting to those who might otherwise be interested in purchasing an electric car for longer journeys. That was a waste. Certainly, yes. Ms Crawford, when they happen to draw to my attention at Calender, as I say in my constituency, perhaps if he'd drawn off just a bit further north than going into Cullin, he'd have found a fast charging point. There may well be a fast charging point, but it would take me three hours to get my 80 per cent charge. What I need are rapid charging points that do it in 30 minutes, and that's the point. I do, however, welcome the Scottish Government's commitment to developing the charge network into one of the most comprehensive set of rapid charge points in Europe. By the way, I stopped at the Greenwelly stop, which isn't far from Cullin, but I needed the extra stops. My second point is that there needs to be charge point reliability, without which extra charge points will be rendered meaningless in the public's perception of an electric car as a lesser motor vehicle and one that is used only for shorter journeys will remain. I welcome to the Parliament today members of the Electric Vehicle Association of Scotland, including their chair Douglas Robertson and his son Ian. They have been very helpful in the lead-up to this debate, and I applaud their efforts in promoting and representing the interests of electric vehicle users in Scotland. If they wait at the bottom of the stairs after the debate, I will come round and see them. There has been some negative press about the Scottish Government wasting money on providing rapid chargers in the rural north, so it was with delight that I learned that the Electric Vehicle Association in Scotland will be hosting an event in June to highlight the many benefits of electric car travel in rural areas. I remember except for the intervention. To me, it is a bit of a check in the next situation. A lot of people want to go to electric cars, but they do not do it because there are no rapid charging points and there are no rapid charging points because there are not any cars. How do you think we can address this particular issue? Have the charge points first? I thank the member for his intervention. Yes, we need to get the charge point network sorted and I will be coming on to that later. There are more and more electric vehicles coming on to the road, especially all electric vehicles that need the rapid charge points. The hybrids can run for a wee bit on petrol and diesel, but the whole point is that we need to move away from petrol and diesel. Of course, it is much cheaper with the electric as well. The group hopes that the support that it has received from Transport Scotland, the Energy Saving Trust, Visit Scotland, Green Tourism and Electric Vehicle dealerships will result in electric vehicle road shows where local people will be able to test drive an electric vehicle. I can tell you that minus and leaf will do 0 to 60 in 11 and a half seconds. It is very nippy and it is very economical. Will the Prime Minister give me a little bit of extra time if I take more interventions? I am grateful to Dave Thompson not just for taking the intervention but for bringing the debate to Parliament. I think that, rather differently from Kenny Gibson's question, Orkney has the highest per capita take-up of electric vehicles and demonstrates the clustering effect. Does he believe that, as part of the exercise that Transport Scotland and others are engaged in, building up those clusters, as well as the network, is going to be important? I think that that is a very important point that the member raises. Those clusters and the confidence that people have in being able to get the charges when they need them are vital. The Scottish Government has supported rural petrol stations in the past and can revitalise rural areas just following on from this point, I believe, by providing electric vehicle charging points. Those can be fixed in with cafes and shops, where local people and visitors might wish to use while their cars are charging. That should be considered, I believe, as a way of providing a new infrastructure for the modern age in rural areas and could be a real boon to those rural areas. That investment would also help to encourage more electric car use and ownership in rural areas and would allow folk to tap into cheaper forms of transport, such as one of the many lease options such as mine, which are available from most electric vehicle dealers. The total cost of ownership can be considerably less for electric vehicles, with maybe £25 a mile being possible. Taxes could save anything up to £9,000 a year on fuel costs. Indeed, I was tagged on Twitter and Tuesday by someone who enthused that he had seen an electric taxi in Edinburgh and, like me, he was calling for more. I have also received messages of support from many people on the run-up to this debate, and I would like to quote one in particular, Mr Gill, who got in touch recently, who shares my concerns. He tells me that it is incredibly difficult to get to and from the Isle of Skye with an electric car. I can testify to this myself, and it is essential that the Shieldbridge rapid point and the Broadford rapid points are working as soon as possible. I am due to go to Skye next a week tomorrow, and if those points are not working, I will have to hire a diesel or petrol car to get to Skye. Maybe the minister can help me by ensuring that those two rapid charge points are working next week. Mr Gill's wife Heather also tried to use the Brockston rapid charger at Perth. There are two rapid chargers on the site, however, one of them was offline completely, just not working. The second unit, apparently, has been installed for about a year, but has not been powered up. She was very fortunate to be able to divert to South Ancient Perth, where the charger did function, but only after she had to hold the connector in place, because some of the old connectors, the levers, are breaking and they will not stay in the car. The newer ones are much better, so we need the old ones to be replaced with newer ones as quickly as possible. I am just coming to a conclusion, Presiding Officer. That goes back to my earlier point that, while improvements in the network have been made and there are plans for more rapid charge points, there must be a concerted effort to streamline the whole charging experience for the user. We cannot possibly hope to increase electric vehicle ownership unless maintenance of the network is of an exemplary standard, and that must be our aim. It is essential that electric car travel in Scotland becomes more efficient and that reliable rapid charge points become the norm. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage electric car use in Skylachaber and Badnoch across the country as a means to reduce our carbon footprint. I call on all members in the chamber to campaign in their constituencies to make electric car travel more prevalent. Finally, I look forward to hearing more about the good work of the Electric Vehicle Association in Scotland. What they are doing to promote and to design the interests of electric vehicle users is first class, and I hope that members will consider getting along to their electric car events in June. Thank you very much and good afternoon, Presiding Officer. I thank Dave Thomson for bringing this debate today. The expansion of electric vehicle charges network across the UK in recent years is a welcome contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. The more convenient and cost effective it is for people to have electric or hybrid vehicles, the more demand will increase. Until now, a lot of investment in fast or rapid charging points has focused on areas with high volume of traffic such as urban areas and motorways. Now in Scotland is reaching a point where we need to invest in vehicle infrastructure for semi-rural areas and rural areas where people are much more dependent on their cars for short journeys. In Glasgow, there is reasonable coverage of electric car charging points, but no superchargers or rapid chargers. As the demand is high, there are often not enough spaces for people to charge their cars. Glasgow has had free charging points for electric cars for several years. As a number of users in plug-in vehicles increased, there began to be disputes where hybrid or electric cars were part in those spaces but were not actually plugged in. In other areas, owners of electric car vehicles were upset that the charging facilities were being used by hydro cars. Earlier this year, the city council introduced a £3 per hour levy for street side electric car charging. I feel that this introduction of charging is a step backwards. If cars can usually have two-hour free parking, then two hours of charging should also be free and a bit to encourage more electric vehicles in our cities. Electric car charging network also needs to keep up with technology. There are only three Tesla superchargers in Scotland which deliver 120 kilowatts of direct current in Scotland, and sadly none of them are in the west coast. So if someone in Glasgow wants access to a supercharger, they need to travel around 50 miles to get one. Surely this is unacceptable or in fact unsatisfactory. Charging of electric cars is as much part of our transport infrastructure as are our roads and can become an integral part of our tourist industry as we know it. So, Presiding Officer, I take this opportunity to call upon all governments and that's local governments, regional governments, Westminster, the European Union and even the UN to encourage private and public industry to play a fuller role in providing additional power points, superchargers, in supermarkets, service stations and other places of tourist destinations in a bid to encourage and enhance the service that is being provided currently. Presiding Officer, I also want to go on to say that I totally agree with Tomson in terms of if you want to make sure that this industry and the service actually flourishes, we've got to give people the provision to do that. I think that it's a great opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to take the lead in this perhaps to show the rest of the UK and other countries that this is the future for us and we need to make sure that we continue to do this which will enhance the quality of life for all of us together. I'm grateful to Dave Thompson for bringing this important issue to the chamber and I was certainly pleased to support his motion when it was circulated. There's no doubt that electric vehicles have an important role to play in a decarbonised transport sector alongside demand management and greater levels of active travel. There's a continuing need to do more to secure greater numbers of EVs on Scotland's roads. With recent technological advances, electric vehicles are now an efficient and realistic method of transportation that will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but will also improve air quality and thereby the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland. However, it's one thing to acknowledge this fact and quite another to implement it. The Scottish Government has already taken measures to increase the appeal of those EVs. However, a major hindrance to consumer appeal has been the availability of plug-in stations and, as Dave Thompson has highlighted, the lack of rapid electric charging points. If we want to encourage the use of electric cars, we must ensure that they are a viable option for everyday use. In doing so, we can look to countries that have implemented those measures with varied success, such as Norway and Germany, as case studies. Norway's had a huge success in the EV market and now holds the world's highest number of electric cars per capita by a wide margin. In fact, it's previously been suggested that there's an opportunity for Scotland to learn from the Norwegian experience, not just in this, I hasten to add. For example, Oslo has the highest density of EVs in the world, and they're also using priority measures such as giving EVs access to bus lanes. I'd be interested to hear from the minister what role the forthcoming national framework of incentives will place on priority measures for EVs. Norway's success corresponds with its incentives for zero-emission vehicles, including exemptions from road tolls, free parking in ten centres, access to bus lanes and import tax, calculated on the basis of a car's CO2 emissions, nitrogen oxide emissions, effect and weight. Further more, the Norwegian Government has voted on a cross-party consensus to uphold these financial incentives until 2018 or until there are 50,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road, thereby tuning the system to penalise cars with higher emissions and reward those with lower emissions. Those measures have been successful in nudging consumers to purchase more eco-friendly vehicles and adjusting the Norwegian mindset to support this movement. A huge part of Norway's success in implementing viable EV market incentives was the availability of charging points, which was made possible through a massive governmental push for charging infrastructure that resulted in an increase from less than 200 charging stations in 2009 to over 7,000 publicly accessible plug-ins for EVs throughout the country and an online centralised database called NOBEL to maximise the benefits of information available from them. Something similar to that might help Dave Thompson when he is searching for a rapid charging point in North Stirlingshire. Germany, surprisingly by contrast, has been slow to adopt similar measures and its EV market is suffering for it. Germany is one of the leading sustainable energy markets in the world, as we know, yet its EV movement has been rather stagnant, particularly due to its lack of charging stations. At the end of 2014, Germany only had 100 fast charging DC stations and 4,800 level 2 charging stations, creating a relatively low density of charging infrastructure for over 600,000 kilometres of roads, especially when considered against Norway's 7,000 plug-ins with only one sixth of the total road network. I am running out of time. Here in Scotland, during the Racky Committee's visit to Orkney in June to take evidence on land reform, I encountered a similar situation on the island of Rousey, where, in the spring of 2014, Rousey, Eaglesea and Wire Development Trust co-ordinated an electric car project in which three areas of Orkney were awarded the cost of leasing four electric vehicles for one year. At the beginning of the leases, there were a limited number of charging points. That was especially problematic on Orkney due to its landscape. However, more charging points were installed, the problem was largely resolved and the project was considered so successful that two of the islands renewed their leases on the electric cars. Even the trust that organised the project bought an electric car of their own. Before the project, there were only 10 EVs in Orkney and now there are over 70 electric vehicles in a population of 21,500. Closing climate change is very much on the Scottish Government's radar. The recent percentage reduction on emissions demonstrates that Scotland is more than three quarters of the way to achieving its climate change target of reducing emissions targets by 2020. Encouraging the EV market will help us to attain that goal, taking advantage of Scotland's abundant renewable sources for electricity to power those vehicles and create a cleaner, greener, more sustainable Scotland. I am pleased that we have the opportunity today to discuss the need for electric cars rapid charging points, because it highlights the widest subject of embracing technology in our response to climate change. I think that Mr Thompson has hit the nail on the head when he pinpoints human ingenuity as a source of smarter ways to reduce carbon emissions. Innovation is indeed the greatest source of progress, and we would do well to embrace the technological change as the best way to tackle climate change in a sustainable, cost-effective and transformational way. Trafalb by electric car is one of these innovations that can make a real lasting difference, and it is right that we consider how best to encourage it, taking into account the limitations as well as the opportunities. Colleagues will be aware of the benefits of electric cars, and it is good to see them highlighted today. Trafalb by electric car can reduce your carbon footprint, which seems to be an increasing important concern for some consumers when selecting a car. However, it would be unrealistic to expect this to be the only criteria since cost, reliability and range are all important factors for such drivers. Such practical concerns must be addressed if we are to see a widespread uptake of electric cars, so my colleague Mr Thompson is quite right to highlight the importance of rapid charge points. This is a particularly important point, because the range of the batteries used can be very short compared to that offered by a full tank of fuel. It is difficult to compromise here, since the funding of new charge points has to be measured against the frequency of their use, hence the fact that some of them do not work if they are not used frequently. Indeed, I have seen reports of some charging stations being left unused for long periods of time, which does put the inevitable question mark over how justified it would be to divert resources from elsewhere to provide them. Of course, we could end up in a circular argument here, because the uptake of electric cars can depend on the availability of charge points in the first place. Clearly, a balance has to be struck that takes into account the benefits of investments in rapid charge points as well as potential opportunity costs. The key theme that I would like to support in the motion is the use of environmentally friendly travel options like electric cars, and it is about the practical points as much as the green credentials. Increased availability of charging points and rapid ones at that is obviously a good place to start, but I think as a whole we should put our energy into supporting efforts to improve the practicality in the first place. I am no engineer, so I have no idea about the final details, but we surely have a wealth of talent in Scotland that has, and we will continue to deliver technology through innovative thinking. With the right environment and the right support, I believe that the problems around the need for charging points can be addressed for the long term by increasing ranges in the first place. I am sure that we would all agree on this, and we would like to do this opportunity to underline my support and acknowledgement of human ingenuity that makes this progress possible. According to the Presiding Officer, I am glad that we have had this opportunity to discuss the use of electric cars and the challenges that they drivers face. I think that the key message that I hope we can take away from this debate is that long-term and sustainable progress is made by human ingenuity, and such planning is the second example that we in Parliament should applaud. I now call on Minister Derek Mackay to make a closing speech on behalf of the Government. Up to seven minutes are there by these ministers. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First of all, I would like to congratulate Dave Thompson for securing this debate and raising awareness of the uptake of electric vehicles and all necessary matters. First of all, Dave Thompson, as he has described, practises what he preaches in the respect of having an electric vehicle. I do not want you to think that Transport Scotland is slow to act. I have an immediate update from officials on the matters that have been raised. I do not understand the full note, but I am sure that officials will be able to explain the full technicalities in detail to Mr Thompson before his trip. I understand that one or two of the charging points that were raised have been fixed. In terms of the visit via Shillbridge, work is commissioned and awaiting final testing. At Broadford, work is delayed due to the way-leave agreement, but it is aimed to commission this by the end of April. I have no idea what that means, Presiding Officer, but I am sure that the official as present will be able to explain to Mr Thompson. Side points made absolutely that the Scottish Government supports the increased use of electric vehicles and increased uptake as we move away from fossil fuel burning vehicles. It is the only way that will make progress on our greener, cleaner country. Such transformation is absolutely significant, so the Government will continue to support in every way that we can through the national transport strategy, through Chargeplace Scotland, through our individual packages of support for electric vehicles. Indeed, our overarching vision for transport is a completely decarbonised vision, and we absolutely need to move towards electric vehicles for air quality, for the environment and for personal behaviour. We are supporting electric vehicles through individual initiatives such as the switched on fleets scheme, which is supporting the purchase of electric vehicles across Scotland. That has included the Highland region specifically. We are also looking at the issues of incentives and what more we can do. Hans Alemanick picked on a fair point on the charging issue, which is certainly worth further consideration. As is enhancing the infrastructure, which is a partnership approach across the public and the private sector, showcasing electric vehicles is necessary, and that is why the exhibitions that have been referred to will be so important, and showcasing the positives of electric vehicles. We are making progress. There are now over 2,000 electric vehicles on Scotland roads. In 2014, there were over 800 electric car sales in Scotland, which used the UK Government's plug-in car grant. That was more than the previous three years combined. The 2015 sales figures have yet to be confirmed, but they tell us that even more vehicles have been sold using the scheme between January and September. We are beginning to build up accelerated progress to deliver more electric vehicles. To Kenny Gibson's question and point, I suppose that the infrastructure has to be in first so that the vehicles can operate, providing confidence and availability. The main point of the debate was around the availability of charging points and more is being done to increase the number of charging points and the availability of the infrastructure because of increasing demand. I hope that more vehicles are purchased. Home charging and domestic charging are also important, and there have been more installations in some of the support schemes to deliver that. Demand has surpassed availability of funding, and that is something that I will look very closely at as we go forward with transport delivery policies. Equally, I would like big employers, particularly, to look at their policies on sustainable transport and their initiatives so that they can expand the charging points with the public sector and the purchase of vehicles. The use of electric vehicles in going about business is important. I could list the areas that have benefited from grant schemes, but I do not think that time would allow it. Other than to say in Dave Thomson's constituency in Skai Elchabar in Beinarch, that alone we have installed nine rapid chargers with a further five planned, and charge points are hosted and maintained by local authorities and other premises. We appreciate their on-going partnership and the delivery of the networks. There is more to do, and we will continue to do that in view of what is happening across networks in Europe. I do think that Scotland has made good progress, but we want to achieve much more. Scotland has gained a strong reputation on the work that we have done on uptake of electric vehicles. That is why we will continue to provide leadership and resources to develop the Charge Place Scotland network in order to meet the needs of the growing electric vehicles market. Wide-spread electric vehicle adoption will require more than just government alone, but that partnership approach from the public and the private sector is a clear need for government-led activity to deliver the transport strategy that we have set out and our vision for a decarbonised road network. The modal shift is well, but those who are using increasingly electric vehicles are using them because of the emissions issue. For all those reasons, I commend Dave Thompson for his work, his support, his campaigning and encouraging all MSPs to campaign in their own areas to help to raise awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles and then lead to further investment. For the Government's part, we will continue to support infrastructure and direct incentives to support that very cost. I thank you all for taking part in this debate. I now suspend this meeting of Parliament until 2 o'clock.