EV Charging Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you introducing a charging tariff?

The council has developed a network of EV Chargers to support the transition away from fossil fuelled vehicles with the council subsidising the cost of electricity to users.

Since its inception, the council has subsidised the operation of the charging network. Demand has grown substantially and is expected to continue to increase, and with rising costs, this has become a financial burden to the council. The introduction of a tariff will mitigate this and support the goal of making the network self-sustaining financially. 

The City Administration Committee (CAC) approved the Council's EV charge point policy and the introduction of a tariff and an overstay fee for the electricity consumed in the public electric vehicle charge point network in April 2021.

Due to various issues, implementation of the tariff was delayed however a tariff was introduced on 11 April 2023.

Following introduction, a review was conducted, and some changes made to the tariff arrangements effective 1 March 2024.

How much does it cost to charge at a Glasgow City Council point?

A tariff was introduced on 11 April 2023. The Tariff as at 1 March 2024 is as follows:

Please note that separate Parking Enforcement may be in operation and drivers should also ensure they are aware of parking restrictions to avoid any enforcement action. Where there are parking fees at these locations these also apply to Electric Vehicles.

The Tariff includes a Connection Fee and a rate for the electricity consumed:

Note the rate is applied for each charging unit and not at a connector level.

An overstay charge of £40 will be automatically applied at all chargers after the Maximum duration.  The council reserves the right to apply a short grace period on to the Maximum Durations.

The tariff will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Tariff information and a QR code for further information is displayed on all charging units as well as on the Charge Place Scotland live maps, App and website. The tariff still applies even if the tariff notices are missing or damaged.

The Council do not hold any Charge Place Scotland account details and any issues regarding billing, payments or tariff collection issues should be directed to ChargePlace Scotland who administer the charging units and tariff collection on our behalf.

Please note that no refunds will be made for any overstay fees incurred due to sessions going over the Maximum Charging Duration and ChargePlace Scotland cannot authorise any refunds.

The overstay charge will be applied directly to the payment method used. We encourage drivers to acquaint yourselves with the maximum charging duration in operation at each charging unit and regularly check your CPS account status especially if payment method is via Invoice.

Where can I find chargers?

As at 1 January 2024, the council has installed 335 live charge points across 175 units for public use in Glasgow including off-street hubs and 16 'Rapid' units that will charge most vehicles 80% in approximately 30 minutes. 

All Council chargers are connected to the Charge Place Scotland network and a list of publicly available charge points, including those provided by the council and other organisations can be found here or on the Charge Place Scotland App.

6 units are available exclusively for taxis and private hire vehicles and 6 units for goods vehicles at Newton Street Car park. More details in the Commercial EV Hub section below.

20 units are for exclusive or shared use by Car Club vehicles. For more information visit the Co-wheels website.

Details of all Glasgow City Council owned chargers are available on the National Chargepoint Registry.

How do I use the council's public EV Chargers?

All Council chargers are connected to the Charge Place Scotland network.

Users can register for an RFID card on their website.

Alternatively Chargers can also be accessed using the CPS mobile app.

Instructions for how to use the chargers can also be found on the CPS website here.

Tariff information and a QR code for further information is displayed on all charging units as well as on the Charge Place Scotland live maps, App and website.

Payment can be made via invoice arrangement, webpay or on some units there is the facility to use debit or credit cards.

Which types of chargers are available?

The Council offer a variety of charging types designed to meet the different needs of users. The table below provides a quick guide.

Why is the Charging unit not providing the power advertised?

Charge Place Scotland have produced some information around why the power drawn may not always be as stated on the Charging unit.

This information can be found on the Charge Place Scotland website.

Is there a difference between full EVs and hybrids?

Consider the type of vehicle you have, is it full EV or hybrid?

The rate of charge of plug-in hybrid vehicles is dictated by the vehicle, rather than the charger and, for most of these, the rate is less than that provided by a 'slow' 7kW charger. Therefore, even if a hybrid connects to a 'Rapid' 50kW charger, it will not charge any quicker. By their nature, 'Rapid' chargers are used for quick top-up charges part-way through a journey.

Do I need to pay for parking when I am charging my car?

Where there are parking fees at locations these also apply to Electric Vehicles.

In 2011, we installed the first charge points, they were free to use and remained so until 2016. However, we found that users abused this amenity by staying in bays all day. Introducing parking charges was the only mechanism we had to enforce these spaces. However, we only do so in line with existing restrictions. Parking charges are in force in onstreet bays and car parks.

Our public EV Charging infrastructure has been located at existing parking bays. Many of these bays have Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) in place.  These apply 24 hours a day and restrictions will be enforced by Parking Attendants and, if necessary, the issuing of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). 

Where there are parking fees at these locations these also apply to Electric Vehicles.

Information on Council car parks can be found on our parking webpage.

Drivers should always look for signage at charge points to be sure which restrictions apply to each location.

What are the council's future plans for chargers?

Installations have been possible due to grant funding from several sources including Transport Scotland, Energy Savings Trust (EST) and the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), now Department for Energy Strategy and Net Zero.  All funding is now allocated, and no further installations are currently planned.

However it is acknowledged that this is not sufficient for the rising demand due to increased EV ownership and so the Council's future EV Strategy and forward programme for EV Charging Infrastructure was approved at the City Administration Committee in November. Our proposed strategy incorporates research undertaken by external consultants on behalf of Glasgow City Region and considers rising demand and potential numbers, locations, funding streams and the national agenda which emphasises the required involvement of the private sector in delivering EVCI. 

Options may include the growth of the council's network; partnership such as concession arrangements with the private sector; sale of the council network.

More information will be published when these options have been assessed.

What other sustainable travel options are there?

The Council adopted  Glasgow's Active Travel Strategy 2022-2031 (PDF) [7MB] (opens new window)  at the City Administration Committee on 24 February 2022.

The strategy supports the City's ambitious commitments by 2030 to:

• A minimum 30% reduction in car kilometres travelled.
• 'Vision Zero' of no deaths or serious injuries on our roads, streets, footpaths or cycle ways.
• Achieve  Net Zero Carbon (PDF) [15MB] (opens new window) .

Recent research suggests the average vehicle is only used for 9 hours a week, meaning it takes up valuable parking or road space the remaining 159 hours.

Car clubs offer solutions to EV ownership cost barriers, congestion, parking limitations and air quality issues. They also better match the Councils vision of a sustainable, equitable and healthy, future city.

More information on Car Club vehicle locations can be found on the Co-Wheels website (opens new window).

In addition, electric bikes (eBikes) have been introduced to the City's Nextbike cycle hire scheme. For more information visit the Next Bike website (opens new window).

How do I report a fault or vandalised charger?

The majority of the Council's charge points are connected to Transport Scotland's Charge Place Scotland (CPS) network. CPS monitor the condition of these charge points daily and arrange with our contractors for repairs or maintenance as required.

Any faults found on the ChargePlace Scotland network can be reported via the ChargePlace Scotland app, by using the fault reporting form, or by calling ChargePlace Scotland on 0141 648 0750.

Faults should not be reported to the council as the charger may not be one of ours.

What are the network statistics?

Details of the public EVCI owned by Glasgow City Council is available on the National Chargepoint Registry. 

Monthly data relating to sessions, tickets(faults) and charge point performance statistics on the ChargePlace Scotland network is available from Charge Place Scotland.

For awareness, for "faults", the data above reflects "Tickets" raised and are not all necessarily reflective of a period of downtime or fault. Further explaination on what a fault ticket might constitute can be found on the Charge Place Scotland website.

Can I get a charger in my area or street?

With over 2,500 electric vehicle users in Glasgow, we can't accommodate the individual needs of these owners, therefore we try and ensure good geographic coverage of charge points. 

We unfortunately cannot respond to individual requests from citizens or businesses for new chargers.

For Businesses or individual users without a dedicated parking space, an option may be to have a charge point installed at a workplace. Grants may be available for businesses from the Energy Saving Trust and more information can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website.  Other grants and loans may also be available from the Office of Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV) and Transport Scotland.

Enquiries regarding the installation of chargers at private communal carparks should be directed to the owner, landlord or factor of the site.  There is currently no funding available from the council for private installation.

I live in a flat - how do I charge my vehicle?

A list of publicly available charge points, including those provided by the council and other organisations can be found here.

From 1 March 2024, the Maximum Charging Durations have been extended.  It is anticipated that this will support residents who do not have an option of a private charger.  Please refer to Tariff information above or on the CPS app.

For users without a dedicated parking space, another option is to have a charge point installed at their workplace. Grants may be available for this from the Energy Saving Trust and more information can be found on the Energy Savings Trust website.

We currently do not permit charging cables to be laid across pavements as this could be a safety hazard. This includes the use of cable gullies.

Should my factor/landlord/housing association be installing chargers?

Whilst there is no requirement for any organisation to retrofit EV charge points, it is the Council's opinion that any organisation that enables parking should be developing plans to install charge points including housing associations, commercial operators, workplaces, visitor attractions and leisure facilities.

Enquiries regarding the installation of chargers at private communal carparks should be directed to the owner, landlord or factor of the site.  There is currently no funding available from the council for private installation.

I have a driveway - can I get a grant for a charger?

Grants may be available from the Energy Savings Trust (EST). More information is available on the Energy Savings Trust website.

I'm a business - how do I charge my vehicle?

A list of publicly available charge points, including those provided by the council and other organisations can be found here.

For Businesses or individual users without a dedicated parking space, another option may be to have a charge point installed at a workplace.

Grants may be available for businesses from the Energy Saving Trust and more information can be found Here

Other grants and loans may also be available from the Office of Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV) and Transport Scotland.

The Council has developed a Commercial EV Charging Hub at Newton Street Carpark.  6 Rapid units are dedicated for use by Taxis and Private Hire vehicles and 6 are dedicated for use by Goods Vehicles. 

What Enforcement is in place?

As demand on the network continues to rise, enforcement of spaces is critical for the user experience and crucial to maintaining user confidence specifically in the network and in EVs generally.

Our public EV Charging infrastructure has been located at existing parking bays. Many of these have Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) in place.  These apply 24 hours a day and restrictions will be enforced by Parking Attendants and, if necessary, the issuing of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs).

Where there are parking fees at these locations these also apply to Electric Vehicles.

Most of these TROs have a specific Electric Vehicle element to them, meaning that the bay can be restricted to EVs only. Further EV specific TROs will be applied to the remaining bays however, this requires a lengthy statutory process to be undertaken to adapt standard parking bays to (or create new) charging bays.  Phase one of the TRO process is distributed to statutory consultees, for example the police and fire services.  Phase 2 is then open to the public.  No signage or alterations to bay markings is permitted until the consultation process is complete and the weight of the responses are positive. Similarly, no enforcement of these spaces can be undertaken until the TRO is in place.

Parking charges are in force in onstreet bays and car parks.

Drivers should always look for signage at charge points to be sure which restrictions apply to each location.

How do I report misuse of a charge point?

Various rules apply at parking and charging bays.  Please first review the rules at each location and if you still believe a vehicle is misusing a chargepoint, please email us with as much detail as you can provide.

Find more information on Parking here.

Are any innovative solutions being considered?

There are some emerging technologies that allow charge points to be installed in street light columns, however there are a number of factors that can affect whether this is a viable option. Unfortunately, they cannot simply be installed within existing columns without significant upgrades. The Council trialled these products on Collins Street but it was determined that not enough power was available.

Another such technology is 'Induction charging' where a vehicle simply passes over an electromagnetic plate on the ground which aligns with a similar plate attached to the vehicle, meaning charging is delivered wirelessly. Induction charging remains prohibitively expensive and charge times are relatively slow. There are also concerns about the safety of these devices due to the electro-magnetic field that is generated and the gap that exists between the road and vehicle - anything passing between the two. This poses an issue in static applications like parking but there are trials on-going about applications on roads so cars can charge on-the-go.

Several EV charging infrastructures is currently being marketed e.g., pop-up chargers, cable gullies.  These would require trialling and testing and consideration given to installation cost, ongoing cost, impact to streetscape, equalities issues, ongoing maintenance of the technology and the footway. The Council is therefore prioritising its EV Strategy and the necessary involvement of the private sector in growing the number of charging units available for public use.