Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop and Lead Director, EV at SSE Energy Solutions, Simon Cowling pose in front of an EV charging bay at the Myrekirk Roundabout in Dundee.
The most powerful electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Scotland, installed by SSE, was officially opened by Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop on Thursday 11 July 2024.
"I’m pleased to join SSE to officially open the Myrekirk Charging Hub. This site features some of the most powerful electric vehicle charging available – offering customers brilliantly fast charging while providing range confidence for people living in and visiting Dundee."
Fiona Hyslop Cabinet Secretary for Transport
The Myrekirk Roundabout site features 24 ultra-rapid charging bays with a total capacity of almost two and a half megawatts, the equivalent of 68,311 gallons of petrol.
Eight of the bays will be powered charge units of up to 360-kilowatts, capable of delivering up to 60 miles of range in just three minutes1. The hub is the first publicly accessible location anywhere in Scotland to feature charge units this powerful.
The remaining 16 bays will feature 150-kilowatt charge units, sufficient to deliver just under 8 miles of range per minute of charging to a standard family car2. Additionally, the project will feature a green roof populated with sedum plants to enhance the biodiversity of the site. Green roofs provide habitats for insects and birds and help to filter pollutants out of the air.
We have installed a second ultra-rapid charging hub in the city at Kingsway West which features 8 charging bays with 150-kilowatt charge units and curb-less charging areas to ensure accessibility for all.
We plan to build 300 ultra-rapid EV charging hubs powered by traceable, renewable energy in the UK and Ireland in the next five years with several sites already open and more under construction. We have also announced plans to build our first e-HGV charging hub at Tyseley Energy Park in Birmingham.
1. Subject to vehicle capabilities and battery condition; assumes market average vehicle efficiency of 201Wh/km (Source: https://ev-database.org/cheatsheet/energy-consumption-electric-car)
2. As footnote 1.
"SSE is playing a key role in decarbonising the UK and Ireland’s transport system, with a commitment to roll-out 300 ultra rapid charging hubs over the next 5 years. The opening of Scotland’s most powerful charging hub at Myrekirk represents a key milestone on that journey, supporting progress on the commitment made by the City of Dundee to installing fast and reliable ultra rapid EV charging infrastructure for drivers and fleet owners."
Neil Kirkby Managing Director for Enterprise, SSE
Data provided by the electric vehicle and charging point platform Zapmap shows that at the end of February, there were 57,290 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, a 47% increase in the total number of charging devices since February 2023. However, concerns remain that charging infrastructure is not keeping pace with electric vehicle sales.
"To reduce transport emissions and protect the climate, the Scottish Government is committed to phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030. We can only do this if people have confidence in the availability of charging infrastructure – and that can only be achieved through private investment like what we can see here from SSE at Myrekirk.
Fiona Hyslop Cabinet Secretary for Transport
With private investment we can grow the network with the pace and scale required to meet our commitment to see approximately 24,000 additional public charge points added by 2030. The Scottish Government’s £30 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund is an example of how we’re working to continue to attract private investment in public EV charging and continue to grow the network as we transition to a net zero transport system. Our latest funding will ensure more places in Scotland benefit from the kind of high quality infrastructure we can see here in Dundee."