New Scottish grant: Up to £15,000 for rural EV charging installs
Transport Scotland has launched a new fund to support EV charging infrastructure in rural and island locations. If you're quoting on sites in these areas, here's what you need to know before you start.
Key facts at a glance:
£ A total of £17.8 million available
💷 Up to £15,000 per AC charge point installed
📍 Eligible sites: Rural and island locations in Scotland
⏳ 2025-26financial year: First come, first served, ie. once it’s gone, it’s gone!
What is it?
The Rural and Island Infrastructure Fund is managed by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of Transport Scotland. It's designed to bring public EV charging to rural and island communities that are unlikely to attract private investment on their own.
Grants are available now and will run until the end of the 2025-26 financial year - but the funding is first come, first served and can close without notice. If your clients are sitting on a site that qualifies, it's worth moving quickly.
How much is available?
⚡ Up to £15,000 per single or dual AC charge point (3.7-22kW)
🔌 Grant amount varies depending on the power output of the unit installed
📋 Multiple units on the same site may each qualify - check with the Energy Saving Trust for your specific project
Who can apply?
🏢 The landowning business - e.g. a hotel, caravan park, community venue, or rural business with off-street parking
🔧 A Charge Point Operator (CPO) applying on behalf of a landowner
📍 Sites must be in rural or island locations in Scotland
🔓 Charge points must be publicly accessible - not private or staff-only
⚠️ Important for installers
Publicly accessible charge points funded under this grant must comply with Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 - which includes open-access contactless payment. Not every charger on the market supports this natively. Make sure the product you're specifying ticks this box before you quote.
How does the application work?
Applications are made directly through the Energy Saving Trust. As the installer, you'll typically be involved in providing technical specs and supporting your client through the process — but the grant application is submitted by the landowner or CPO, not by you.
Full eligibility criteria, application guidance, and contact details are on the Energy Saving Trust website.
Specifying the right charger matters
Rural installs come with their own challenges, patchy signal, sites far from support, and clients who'll ring you if something goes wrong.
The Voqa One was built for exactly this kind of location.
✅ Contactless tap-to-pay built in - no separate terminal, no app for the end user
✅ Compliant with Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 out of the box
✅ Three connectivity options: 4G, WiFi, and Ethernet - stays online where signal is unreliable
✅ 24/7 customer support - your clients call us, not you
Already used by installers in rural Scotland - including a caravan park in Aberdeenshire where mobile signal is almost non-existent.
Quoting on a rural site?
Get the Spec Sheet and Install Guide from our Installer Resources page before your next quote.
→ Read the full grant details on the Energy Saving Trust website