Highland Council To Act As One Of The Host Local Authorities For The 2023 EV Rally Of Scotland

11th August 2023

Highland Council has been named as one of the host local authorities when vehicles taking part in the 2023 EV Rally of Scotland (EVROS) start their journeys on 16 August.

The two-day event, which aims to showcase electric vehicle technology and the charging infrastructure network in Scotland, will stop at locations in Highland.

The Highland leg of the rally includes a checkpoint at Aviemore on 16 August with vehicles stopping at the following checkpoints on 17 August: Inverness Caledonian Thistle Stadium, Port of Cromarty Firth, Hydro Ness in Inverness, Loch Ness Viewpoint, Fort Augustus, Struy and Cannich.

The rally will cover 560 miles and begins in Glasgow. It aims to build on the successful EVROS event held during COP26 in 2021, and then the Tri-Hub EV Challenge in 2022.

The rally is being organised by Green Fleet Events which helps organisations "drive the switch," to a cleaner fleet and is supported by Transport Scotland.

Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans, said: “Highland Council remains committed to meeting its Net Zero targets and decarbonisation of our fleet is just one of the ways we are meeting the challenge.

“The Council is delighted to be hosting a section of this year's EV Rally of Scotland, which will showcase that fleet decarbonisation is no longer a dream, but a reality. The rally will benefit from the significant EV infrastructure already in place in Highland.”

He added: “The Climate and Energy Team has worked hard to build the EV infrastructure here in Highland and that work continues to further enhance the network over the coming months and years.”

The EVROS event comprise of ten teams, which will be representing Scottish business. Each Team enters an EV of their choice (car or van), along with a driver and co-driver.

They will embark on a 560mile, all-electric mile moving showcase, with two to three checkpoints per day. Each Checkpoint will be photographed and posted on social media using specific hashtags, such as #evros, #evrally, #collaboration, #netzero and the Checkpoint drivers are at, for example, #CP1 for Caledonian Stadium.

The Highland Council has responsibility for over 7000km of roads within the region and is committed to supporting the development of a sustainable EV network to help tackle the climate emergency.

The Highland Council has already installed an initial infrastructure of over 100 EV charge points with many more planned in the coming months and years as it moves from a government funded model to a sustainable, self-funding model, encouraging a transport transition to electric.

The Council and other public sector organisations in the region have an ambition to ensure that access to EV Charging is fair and equitable to all, regardless of where they live and work, being mindful of the challenges of local geography.

Highland Council is committed to progressing the transition to low carbon transport and aim to be a leading authority to help enable low carbon connectivity across our city and rural communities. The Council sees this as a crucial contribution to the reduction in carbon emissions as it works towards being a Net Zero region.

To date, the Highland Council has met guidance for EV charge points to be available at a minimum of every 30 miles, providing confidence and ease of access to charging facilities for residents and visitors. Its ambition now is to accelerate this provision towards the critical mass of charging infrastructure to ensure that range anxiety is a thing of the past.