The following activities can all help to encourage the transition to electric vehicles. Community organisations and schools can be well placed to encourage this transition:
Raising Awareness: Increasing awareness of the following can create a powerful message:
- climate literacy;
- the contribution sustainable transport can make in reducing transport emissions;
- what sustainable transport options are available
Trying EVs: This can help people realise how user-friendly EVs are to drive. Greener Scotland provides information about where to test drive vehicles. Energy Saving Trust also subsidises FuelGood driver training, which can enable people to learn how to increase their fuel efficiency while driving an EV.
Second Hand EVs: Availability of second-hand vehicles has been cited as a key reason why places with large numbers of EVs such as Orkney have been so successful in their transition. Communities could facilitate discussions with existing second-hand car dealers about the potential to sell vehicles locally.
Charger availability: The more chargers that are available, the more range anxiety can be avoided. Community organisations can own chargers or can be a powerful voice in lobbying Local Authorities and workplaces to install them. UK Government grants are available to support the cost of installing chargers.
Maintenance: In remoter areas, fewer available EV dealerships and garages can be a barrier to EV uptake. Therefore, engaging local independent garages and encouraging them to provide maintenance and servicing can avoid the need for EV owners to travel far afield for servicing.
Information about other useful organisations can be found here.
