Princes Street

In 2016, through the Go Ultra Low City Scheme, the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) named Dundee Scotland’s only Go Ultra Low City and started their two-year EV infrastructure project to provide a comprehensive and innovative EV charging infrastructure. Following the installation at Aimer Square in Lochee, the second charging hub built using the OLEV funding programme was opened at Princes Street. Previously a petrol station, the site has been redeveloped into one of the most advanced EV charging hubs in the country - Princes Street hub boasts the UK's first electric vehicle charging infrastructure to include solar canopies and battery/energy storage.

The official opening was carried out by the Minister for Public Health and Sport and Wellbeing - Joe FitzPatrick MSP in the summer of 2018. The hub consists of 7 x 50kW and 2 x 22kW charging units. The 50kW units can now take contactless payments. All charging units can charge two vehicles simultaneously, which means 18 EVs can visit Princes Street at any one time and get a charge! It was described at a European EV forum as “a globally significant development in electric vehicle charging”.

With it being the first of its kind in the UK, the charging hub involves renewable energy optimisation. This process ensures the best use of the on-site photovoltaic (PV) which provides 36kw of power with the battery-renewable solution allowing 90kWh storage capacity. The system allows the EV hub to reduce demand from the national grid at peak times and be in the position to take advantage of off-peak charging tariffs. The site has also been future-proofed to allow increased battery storage capacity and more powerful chargers.

Fun Fact - The Princes Street hub features kerbs made from recycled plastic bottles as opposed to concrete, which we’d normally use.

Testimonials

“I love my new Nissan Leaf… the forward-thinking city council are at the forefront of the whole electric car revolution”

Lorraine Kelly

“Electric taxis always surprise our customers with how quiet they are. The switch from fuel to electricity has saved us thousands – and it’s clean too!”

There are now a total of 187 electric taxis operating in Dundee which is 25% of all taxis operating in the city.

Dundee Taxis

“Electric vehicles have reduced the city’s cO2 levels by 987 tonnes so far (Sept 2017)”

Dundee City Council have 223 electric vehicles (and counting) in their fleet, the biggest of any UK local authority.

Gary McRae, Dundee City Council

“The excellent charging infrastructure in Dundee makes running an electric car very easy. I often plug in to one of the chargers in town, pop to the shops and my Nissan Leaf is fully charged by the time I’m done. I can’t wait to use the charging hubs that are planned across the city. The ability to park for free in the Dundee City Council car parks because my car has zero emissions is an added bonus.”

Elinor, Dundee

“We are now using an electric car since 2012 and will not go back to a petrol car. The drive is smooth, responsive and quiet. With Dundee getting better and better with chargers in several places, free parking in Council car parks, what’s not to like? The car has saved us money compared to the Ford Ka we had before, with currently over 90,000 miles, you can’t tell us it’s not used. Looking forward to the new charging hubs in Dundee.”

Erwin, Alyth

“EVs are over 60% cheaper to refuel than modern petrol and diesel cars and have only 1% of the moving components, so they’re really reliable. There are EVs that have clocked up over 174,000 miles in three years and only needed a ball bearing replaced. Switching to an EV from a 70mpg hybrid and charging it at home has saved me £500 per year on fuel and maintenance alone – double that if I only use Dundee’s free public charge points!”

Euan, Dundee University graduate

“Our two electric vans have completely transformed our business. Not only have they helped reduced our running costs, but they are much better for the environment and work well with the stop start style of driving that we do on our free pick-up and delivery service. The move over to electric vehicles has been extremely easy due to the excellent facilities for charging in the local Dundee area. We are even considering adding a third electric vehicle to our fleet.”

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