Electric vehicle charging points

We offer electric vehicle charging points for the public to use across the city.

Types of charger

Three different types of electric vehicle charger are available. These are:

Rapid chargers (50kW DC/ 43kW AC) - capable of delivering an 80% charge in around 30 minutes
Fast chargers (22kW AC) - capable of recharging a car fully in around 3 hours
Standard chargers (7kW AC) - capable of recharging a car fully in around 6 hours

Charging times vary from vehicle to vehicle and may be longer than those quoted as not all vehicles are able to accept charge at the maximum rate that the post can deliver. Please consult your vehicle handbook for details.

Locations

You can find electric vehicle charging points at the locations listed below. In addition, if you want to find all of the public charge points which are available in Aberdeen, including ones which the Council does not have responsibility for, we recommend using the following map available here. It should be noted that this map is not owned or managed in any kind of way by the Council

Rapid triple charger

Unit with 43kW AC Mennekes connector, 50kW DC CCS connector and 50kW CHAdeMO connector. Can charge two vehicles at once – one AC and one DC – and will de-rate to supply 25kW to each side.

Aberdeen Snowsports Centre car park, Garthdee AB10 7BA (Use Asda access from Garthdee Road). Available 24 hours.
Broomhill Road car park, AB10 6HS. Available 24 hours.
2 x Gallowgate car park, AB25 1DL (South side by exit). Available 24 hours.
Sclattie Park car park, Bucksburn AB21 9RG. Available 24 hours.
Langdykes Road, Cove Bay, AB12 3HW. Available 24 hours.
Exploration Drive, Bridge of Don AB23 8GX. Available 24 hours
2 x Kingswells Park and Ride, lower car park, AB15 8PL. Available 24 hours
2 x Craibstone Park and Ride, Dyce, main car park on east side of Park and Ride site, AB21 9TT
3 x units at Frederick Street car park ground floor, AB24 5HY

Fast charger

Double unit with 22kW AC Mennekes socket on each side. Can charge two vehicles at once. When two vehicles charge, Chapel Street and Frederick Street units will de-rate to supply 11kW to each side.

Chapel Street car park, AB10 1ST (Ground floor by exit). Three public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Frederick Street car park, AB24 5HY (First floor). Nine public socket only. Available 24 hours.
Dunmail Avenue car park, Cults AB15 9LW. Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Golden Square outer car park, AB10 1RD (opposite South Silver Street). One public socket only. Available 24 hours.
Danestone Community Centre car park, AB22 8ZP. One public socket only. Available 24 hours.
Bridge of Don Library car park, AB22 8HH. One public socket only. Available 24 hours.
Cornhill Shopping Centre car park, AB16 5UT. Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Mastrick Road car park, AB16 5PY. One public socket only. Available 24 hours.
Hazlehead Park eastern car park, AB15 5BJ. Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Satrosphere car park, AB24 5TU. One public socket only. Available from 9am to 6pm.
Kincorth Library car park, AB12 5NP. One public socket only. Available 24 hours.
Langdykes Road, Cove Bay, AB12 3HW. Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Exploration Drive, Bridge of Don AB23 8GX. Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Kingswells Park and Ride, lower car park, AB15 8UN. Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Tanfield Walk car park, Aberdeen AB24 4AN. One public socket only. Available 24 hours.

Standard charger

Double unit with 7kW AC Mennekes socket on each side. Can charge two vehicles at once.

Gallowgate car park, AB25 1DL (North side by entrance). One public socket only. Available 24 hours.
West North Street car park, AB25 1DR (Ground floor by entrance). Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Polmuir Road, AB11 7TH (at rear gates to Duthie Park). Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Kingswells Park and Ride, AB15 8UN (in upper car park). Two public sockets. Available 24 hours.
Craibstone Park and Ride, AB21 9TT 8 public sockets.

Using the chargers

The operating system for the units is run by ChargePlace Scotland. You can become a member of ChargePlace Scotland for £20 per year. On joining, you'll receive a ChargePlace Scotland card which you swipe across the unit in order to use it. As well as allowing you to use the charging points listed on this page, it will allow you to use any ChargePlace Scotland charge point as well as many others across the UK. If you don't want to become a member, you can use the points by downloading the ChargePlace Scotland mobile phone app or by phoning ChargePlace Scotland.

See the ChargePlace Scotland website for more details.

We operate two different makes of electric vehicle charging units: Siemens units and Swarco units. There are some slight differences in the way they operate. You can download full instructions on how to use each unit below:

Electric Car Charging Instructions576.84 KB

Costs

From 1st April 2023, the tariff applied to the electric vehicle charge points is £0.47 per kWh with a £1.00 minimum spend. Please note, where parking charges apply, you are also expected to pay these as normal.

If you have a parking permit for Zone A, you can use the Golden Square charge point without being charged for parking.

If you stay with the vehicle while using the Gallowgate or Broomhill Road Rapid Chargers , the parking charge will be waived.

For rapid chargers only, a two-hour maximum stay time applies and there is an overstay fee of £1.00 per minute up to a maximum of £60.00

Contact details

Strategic Place Planning

transportstrategy@aberdeencity.gov.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I try out an electric car?

If you want to find out more about owning an electric vehicle, the Energy Saving Trust Scotland have an online Electric vehicle users tool where anyone keen to find out more about a specific vehicle's range, driving style, charging time and so on can find an owner of that vehicle and ask them questions.

The Energy Saving Trust also offer interest-free loans to buy electric vehicles. To find out more see: Electric vehicle loans

Why aren't rapid chargers installed at all locations?

Unfortunately this is not practical due to the cost of the units and the lack of availability of an adequate power supply in some locations. We have deliberately tried to match the speed of the charger to the type of location. Rapid chargers are located in high turnover locations or beside strategic routes and standard chargers are in longer stay car parks where people are likely to be leaving a car for longer periods.

Can all electric vehicles use these charging points?

Most mainstream production electric cars should be able to use these charge points without risk to their internal components. However, there are some exceptions. It is worth checking with your vehicle manufacturer to be sure.

Some electric vans can use the charging points but there are some exceptions. Please check with your vehicle manufacturer.

Do I need a special cable to connect to the units?

All the AC units use a Mennekes Mode 3 Type 2 connector which is a 7 pin socket. If you have the standard 3 pin socket, compatible with many home charging systems then you will not be able to use the charging points. However, most manufacturers offer a 7-pin cable as an option. Check with them for details. The Rapid Charge unit has its own cables. However, the AC and DC sides both have different connections and plug into different parts of the vehicle so check your handbook for details.

Can I connect a mobility scooter up to one of these points?

No. The batteries in mobility scooters are unable to cope with the size of the power supply and the rate of delivery from these units.

What make and model are the charging points?

The charge points at Golden Square, Dunmail Avenue, Aberdeen Snowsports Centre and one of the Craibstone rapid chargers are Siemens Chargers.

The rapid chargers at Kingswells and Exploration Drive are ABB units and the fast chargers at Exploration Drive and two of the units at Chapel Street car park and Kingswells Park and Ride respectively are ICU units.

The others are from Swarco under their EVOLT brand.

Are these the only public charging points in Aberdeen?

No, some other organisations have charge points available and more and more places are installing them. See the National Charge Point Registry for an up to date list. There are also other sources of information, such as Zap Map.

Can I get a grant to install a charger at home or at work?

The Energy Saving Trust (Scotland) can help. Please go to Energy Saving Trust (Scotland) for more information.

I want to buy an EV but can’t charge at home. Can I get a charge point?

It is not possible to permit the installation of home charging points for those without access to off street parking. This is due to several issues:

Too many variables to consider such as drainage and gradient and how well used the pavement is. These vary across the city.
With so many households in the city without off-street parking, it would not be possible to provide chargers on the public road outside every household who asks, but would seem unfair to do it for some and not for others
Parking management and ensuring you would be able to park outside your home to enable charging
Safety concerns (see below).

Am I allowed to run a cable across the pavement?

It is not possible to run a cable across a public pavement as, even if an owner is meticulous about how they cover their cable, there is always a danger that it gets kicked, tampered with and then becomes damaged or a trip hazard and, with live electricity flowing through it, there is the potential for this to be very dangerous.

Will the council create a channel for me to run a cable under the pavement?

Unfortunately, as this would impact on the public road it is not something we can authorise. Additionally, if you were to then subsequently move house reinstatement works would have to take place making things more complicated.