McArthur presses Scottish Government on uptake of EVs in Orkney
Orkney's MSP Liam McArthur has today urged the Scottish Government to support local efforts to develop capacity for repairing and maintaining electric vehicles in Orkney.
The request follows Tesco's confirmation that it will no longer offer EV insurance for islanders due to concerns over a lack of local capacity repair and maintenance capacity.
Speaking during general questions, Mr McArthur highlighted that Orkney has one of the highest rates of EVs anywhere in Scotland, and pressed the Transport Secretary, Fiona Hyslop to engage with HIE, the Council, Orkney Renewable Energy Forum and other stakeholders to explore ways of addressing these issues over the medium and longer term.
In response, Ms Hyslop agreed to ask her officials to undertake such engagement and asked for Mr McArthur to write to her with more details. She also pointed to funding available to support efforts to develop the infrastructure necessary for the transition to EVs, including skills capacity.
Commenting further, Mr McArthur said:
"Orkney has played a leading role in the transition to net zero, and islanders have demonstrated their willingness to make the shift to low emission vehicles.
"For that transition to work, however, appropriate infrastructure and services need to be in place in island communities.
“I am deeply concerned at the decision by Tesco Insurance to refuse cover for EV owners in Orkney, but this underlines the urgency in building the necessary capacity to support the future roll out of EVs in our islands.
"I welcome the Transport Secretary’s confirmation that the Scottish Government will work with the Council, HIE and other local partners to identify solutions going forward. It is encouraging to hear that funding is available to support these efforts, including the development of skills within the local workforce.
“I will be meeting the Council leader and CEO later this week to discuss this issue in more detail and where any funding may best be used at a local level in Orkney."