THE recent BBC Scotland Disclosure programme, Electric Cars – Ready for the Charge?, was an interesting look at public EV charge point provision in Scotland, but it only scratched the surface of what will happen in this sector.
The public charger coverage in Scotland, whilst the best in the UK outwith London, is still rather patchy, and in places very poorly maintained. Given the explosion in EV numbers being experienced, this needs to change rapidly. The thing that we need to be watching for is the tipping point in the composition of the national vehicle fleet.
The cut-off point of 2030 for sales of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles will not, I think, be the crucial moment, as there are two players in the game who are generally overlooked. I would say that finance directors in public and commercial organisations, plus the vehicle leasing companies that now supply a large proportion of new vehicles, will play a prime role in the move from ICE to EV in Scotland.
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The much lower running costs of EVs must already be attracting the attention of finance directors in their ongoing quest for best value on cash spent. The personal prejudices of drivers within organisations will have no impact on the choice of drivetrain for new vehicles, which means that finance directors should be a target for more positive messaging on EVs. Public-sector organisations should be especially targeted in the drive from ICE to EV as the public sector is more averse to change than the private sector.
For vehicle leasing companies, the end-of-lease value of vehicles is sure to be a crucial factor in the drivetrain set-up they choose to supply. No -one will want to be left holding ICE vehicles that have a rapidly falling resale value in comparison to EVs, and this factor will surely accelerate the move from ICE to EV.
In order for the transition in the Scottish vehicle fleet to be smooth and successful, we need the Scottish Government and all elected politicians in Scotland to be making the positive case in public for the move to an EV future. Alongside the lower running costs of EVs, the massive reduction in air and noise pollution that they deliver should be trumpeted as a huge benefit to every community in Scotland, as we all currently suffer from the long-term damage to our personal health and collective environmental health.
Jon Southerington
Deerness, Orkney
LAST Thursday I attended the Merkinch Community Centre here in Inverness for a presentation by the highly renowned journalist Lesley Riddoch.
Lesley is a very knowledgeable and erudite speaker who has honed her presentation skills, as she held the room spellbound for a full 90 minutes. Her themes included making comparisons between the ways of life within the Nordic nations, the Faroe Islands and Finland with ours here in Scotland. She was able to cite many examples of how nations of similar or lower populations than Scotland, and some with far more limited natural resources, can enjoy far more enhanced and fulfilling lifestyles than we enjoy!
READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: Lessons for Scotland from Finland's connection to its music
To emphasise her point she asked how many in the audience – given that we were only yards from the Beauly Firth – owned a boat? No hands went up. She told us that in Norway, the question would have had half the room raising a hand!
However, her finale led to the crunch question.
She referenced the Supreme Court and the judicial review into the legalities of holding another Scottish independence referendum. She pointed out that the moment the judgement is handed down, it will become headline news across all the media outlets. She enlightened us with her own extensive experiences in journalism, and the shortcomings of poor timing when it came to seizing a salient moment in a political narrative.
It’s all very well having your marches, speeches and demonstrations on the weekend, she told us. Yes, more participants are available because it’s their day off, but most of the journalists are enjoying their day off, too! The time to shout is the moment the judgement is announced, and all the media attention is focussed on that item; otherwise, you’ve missed the bus!
READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: Visibility will be key for the Yes movement this winter
In Glasgow they have an event planned. In Edinburgh there’s a plan to demonstrate at Holyrood. So, “What are you doing in Inverness?”, she asked.
My hearing is already impaired but the silence was deafening!
We reported back to our daughter; one of Lesley’s biggest fans. “Why don’t you demonstrate outside the STV and the BBC offices, in town, at a time when they can’t ignore you and also involve Moray Firth Radio as well?” Why Moray Firth Radio? Because they are owned and operated by the German Bauer multi-media group, out of Hamburg, and operate a huge number of independent radio stations across the UK and Europe.
Lesley is right to put a bullet up the backside of us indolent old farts who think we’ll get what we want by politely asking. Thank you, Lesley, for a well-placed suppository!
We have taken our suggestions to the Inverness Yes Hub.
Ned Larkin
Inverness
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