By Jamie Paterson, 13 January 2022
As Scotland moves towards a greener future, radical development in infrastructure is needed to legitimise the Scottish Government’s claim to climate leadership. From 2030, the sale of new combustion vehicles, including cars, vans, and lorries, will be prohibited in the UK. This, alongside electric vehicles’ (EV) increasing share of the market and a lack of charging facilities, means that Scotland needs to do more to accommodate the rise of electric transport and demonstrate climate leadership.
In rural areas of Scotland such as Argyll or the Highlands, EV charging points are few and far between. This lack of infrastructure highlights the inconvenience of operating an EV in Scotland; not only do drivers need to take sometimes lengthy detours to charge their vehicles, but many charging stations have limited capacity and charge times of up to ten hours. Rural infrastructure must be adapted in order to combat combustion engine related emissions, which are the largest single source of greenhouse gases in Scotland. Without significant improvements, there will be little incentive and limited practicality for rural communities adapting to majority-electric transport, jeopardising Scotland’s efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
While one solution may be found in simply installing more charge points across Scotland – such as the Electric A9 project – installing a single charging unit can cost up to £40,000. To expand current infrastructure in this way would be highly costly and fails to mitigate the lengthy waits EV owners face while charging. Instead, it may be beneficial for the Scottish Government to take inspiration from Sweden’s eRoadArlanda project – utilising new technology to provide mobile charging for EVs on the road.
The process of electrifying roads entails installing charging rails on the road surface, to which a vehicle-mounted mobile conductor can be attached in order to supply a vehicle’s battery with power. By using mobile charging technology, the need for drivers to stop at a static charging point is eliminated, making EV ownership more feasible for many, especially in rural areas where charging infrastructure is currently limited.
Targeting trunk roads in Sweden (with as few as 5,000 kilometres of electrified roads believed to provide sufficient charging infrastructure), eRoadArlanda aims to provide EVs with reliable access to rural areas. Only two to four percent of the Swedish road network would need to undergo electrification for this to be realised, as battery power is sufficient for trips between trunk roads. Similarly, Scotland’s trunk roads serve large portions of rural areas with connections across the Kintyre Peninsula and deep into the Highlands where charging infrastructure is sparse. By electrifying Scotland’s trunk roads, an EV driver could travel between, for example, Campbeltown and Thurso with ease – which at present would pose a significant challenge due to issues over vehicle range and the distance between rural charging stations. Other, more remote communities could also be reached with ease as EV batteries would be sufficient to cover the distances between trunk roads, minimising the time vehicles would spend without charging and greatly enhancing their range.
Scotland’s existing infrastructure could be utilised to improve the accessibility of EVs. Electrifying trunk roads circumvents the need to build a large number of static charging stations across Scotland, and with the potential to lay one kilometre of electric rail in the space of an hour, disruption is minimised and could perhaps be implemented during routine resurfacing. Therefore, no new infrastructure is necessarily needed – rather, an upgrade of Scotland’s existing transport infrastructure could prove to be hugely beneficial in terms of encouraging the adoption of EVs.
Electrifying Scotland’s roads is not without its issues, however. A large volume of EVs drawing power from roadways could put significant pressure on the electric grid which would require further development to manage. Political willpower could also be hard to come by, as low population density in targeted areas would limit the usefulness of electrified roads to the majority of people. It may even ultimately be unnecessary – the range of EV batteries is growing, meaning that on-route charging might only be needed for “rare long-distance travel days”. Questions may also be raised about the cost of electrifying roads, which could prove “prohibitively expensive”.
In practice, eRoadArlanda’s pilot project was considered “surprisingly cost effective” however, with estimations that electric roads could pay for themselves in under three years. When compared with the high costs of installing static charging points across Scottish road networks, it appears that the electrification of Scotland’s roads could be more efficient than the current policy of building new charging stations. With over £85,000,000 spent on resurfacing Scotland’s trunk roads from 2018 to 2019 alone, incorporating the electrification of these roads seems within reach.
Scotland’s status as a climate leader has been questioned by climate activist Greta Thunberg despite the Scottish Government’s “laudable ambitions” in climate-linked areas such as decarbonising transport, facilitating 84% of the UK’s reforestation, and having 97.4% of energy demand met by renewable sources. If more is to be done, electrifying Scotland’s trunk roads may be one route to strengthening the claim to climate leadership. In Sweden, electrified roads are predicted to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transport by up to 90%, indicating that implementation could be highly beneficial in meeting Scotland’s goal of “ending [its] contribution to climate change by 2045.” Should the Scottish Government follow this example – which has been touted as revitalising Swedish competitiveness in green technology – Scotland could promote its image as a pioneer in climate governance.
Sweden’s electric road has set an important precedent for efficient vehicle charging infrastructure. As a source of knowledge, its potential is invaluable for nations seeking to decarbonise commercial and civil transport. And, as a means of making EVs more appealing for rural drivers, it could prove crucial in the shift towards green transport. Pursuing a policy of electrifying Scotland’s trunk roads is a bold move, but boldness is needed to combat climate change and solidify Scotland’s global image as an effective climate leader.
Jamie Paterson graduated from the University of Stirling with a Masters in International Conflict and Cooperation in 2020. His research interests include global climate governance and EU & Scottish policymaking.