FOR EV is a mission led charge point operator who are working hard to make the complex simple! Backed by The Scottish National Investment Bank, they are well placed to accelerate that change to more sustainable ways of travel.
To help us understand more about their future plans, we sat down with Steve Dunlop, CEO of FOR EV, to get the inside scoop.
Let's get plugged in...
(*You can check where your nearest FOR EV charger is by searching the map or using the app filters)
FOR EV was founded by Lindsay Wallace, who is now one of our executive directors. Lindsay commissioned a survey across the Nordic countries and the UK, which showed how far Scotland was behind its Nordic neighbours on EV infrastructure. He founded FOR EV to help address that problem.
The pandemic set plans back a couple of years, but a breakthrough came in 2021 when the business secured £2m of seed funding from the Scottish National Investment Bank, who shared Lindsay’s vision of providing much-needed public EV charging across Scotland. Shortly afterwards, I came on board as chair and the business – along with our team - began to grow at pace. When John Watson took over the role of chair in 2023, I became full-time chief executive.
We recently celebrated the launch of our 30th live site and are now up to 33. Between them, those sites have more than 130 connectors. Growth is really speeding up; we have another 15 sites currently under construction, with many more in the pipeline.
Our primary focus is on user experience. We ensure our stations are designed with convenience and reliability in mind. This means investing in cutting-edge technology that offers fast, intuitive charging, easy payment options, and real-time support, to make the EV charging experience as seamless and straightforward as possible for our customers.
Our goal is to provide reliable charging stations that are accessible to all EV drivers. We undertake extensive research to identify high-traffic locations in underserved areas, delivering a network that is both expansive and inclusive.
More than 930,000 Scots – or 17% of our total population – live in rural areas. Nobody wants to see ‘charging deserts’, but we understand the lower overall number of potential users in remote locations can lead to concerns about cost-effectiveness. Fewer customers mean a longer time until the upfront investment needed to install a charging point pays off.
We can help because our model means there’s no upfront cost to our partners, which takes that worry away. We take care of everything, from installation to operation and maintenance, even in less populated areas that other charging infrastructure providers won’t go to.
Around half of our charge point connections are ultra-rapid, with speeds of 150 kw or above, and we see this as the future for on-route and destination charging. Although, I believe there is still a role for ‘slower’ chargers in places people leave their cars for a while, such as workplace car parks and tourist accommodation. It’s about getting the right charger in the right place.
The Bank’s mission is to deliver a net zero Scotland, and there is a recognition that what FOR EV does is an essential element of that. This is the third investment we’ve had from the Bank, following an initial £2m in 2021, followed by £10m the following year.
This funding will boost our ability to grow and scale as a company, supporting us to deliver even more high-quality, accessible electric vehicle charging hubs across the UK. It will also help us further expand our unique proposition for fleets, which will support them to transition to a net zero future with ease.
We’re always keen to work with multi-site landowners and have some great partnerships on the go that will help increase the availability of public ‘destination’ charging. These include rolling out rapid charging stations at multiple Starbucks drive-thrus. We’ve also been working with Cedarwood Asset Management Ltd and David Samuel Asset Management Ltd to provide charging at retail locations across Scotland, such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Toolstation.
We concentrate on building lasting relationships with our partners, through excellent service – if they think we’re great to work with, they’ll keep coming back to us.
Look beyond the headlines. The media often talks about EV charging infrastructure in terms of the overall numbers of chargers across the country, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
For example, the latest figures from the UK Government’s Office of Zero Emissions Vehicles suggest that Scotland’s doing pretty well. It has 103 chargers per 100,000 people, which is better than most UK regions outside of London, and the fastest chargers on average.
However, these chargers are heavily concentrated in cities. Part of our mission is to provide reliable, user-friendly EV charging infrastructure across the length and breadth of Scotland, with no area left behind.
We want to ensure EV charging infrastructure is available to everyone who needs it, and that goal forms part of our plans. My background is in economic development and regeneration, so equity is something of a passion for me.
To build on our backing from the Scottish National Investment Bank, we’re now actively seeking private sector investors to support our drive towards net zero. We hope to significantly increase charge points across Scotland while also expanding into the rest of the UK.
We’re also very excited about our new FOR Fleet offer. Reaching net zero isn’t just about persuading people to switch their family car – transitioning all petrol and diesel vehicles, from buses to vans and lorries, is a key priority. To do this, we need to encourage the owners and operators of the UK’s 60,000 fleets to transition to EV. The time to act on this is now.
Anything that makes people feel more confident about EV ownership is a good thing, and working with partners like Octopus Electroverse helps make charging at a FOR EV charger even easier. Since we started our integration with Octopus Electroverse, the usage stats have significantly increased month-on-month!
I envy anyone who has a small EV camper, they look amazing. Perhaps one day!
I recently drove in my Tesla Model 3 to the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula in the Scottish West Highlands. That’s 180 miles from my home and the journey was very smooth.
Having a good routine is key – as well as making use of cheaper overnight tariffs.
FOR EV’s chargers are so simple to use that no advice is required. But if you do find yourself needing some help, you can scan the charger’s QR code for step-by-step instructions - so it’s never been easier.
Don’t hog the charger - and speak to your fellow EV drivers, normally a friendly bunch in my experience.
Feeling enlightened, or do you think something was missing? Let us know by sharing your feedback.
Interested in learning more? Head over to our Electroverse Community area for more electrifying content.
