Royal Bank of Scotland has installed one of the largest electric vehicle charging car parks in Scotland at their Gogarburn Head Office. There are 264 chargers on the site available for staff and visitors as part of the bank’s purpose-led role in leading the charge to a low carbon economy.
The bank, one of the country’s largest employers, committed to the development as part of a suite of activity to tackle the climate crisis. Collaboration with staff highlighted that being able to easily and affordably charge an electric vehicle was a primary consideration for switching, but that access to chargers was not always easy to find, in particular for colleagues living in flats and city centre areas where chargers were more difficult to install at home.
Speaking during Scotland’s Climate Week, Judith Cruickshank, Scotland Chair at the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “We are proud to wear our climate credentials on our sleeve. Having been a principal Sponsor at last year’s COP26 it is important that we continue challenging ourselves to do more, and that includes looking at the support we can offer at our headquarters at Gogarburn.
“Working in partnership with EQUANS and our property services team, we developed and delivered the installation which has created one of the largest electric vehicle charging car parks in the UK, with 264 charging points available for colleagues and visitors to use, charged at set prices to allow for easy budgeting.
“We are also moving our fleet of company-use cars to electric vehicles, in partnership with Novuna, ensuring that as a company we are maximising every opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to a better, heathier environment.
“Realising our ambition for Net Zero requires a systemic shift in energy use, in sustainable thinking and action. With this investment at Gogarburn, we are supporting our colleagues to be able to make those changes as stress-free as possible.”
Paula Burnett, a Royal Bank of Scotland colleague based at Gogarburn, said: “I bought an electric vehicle because I want to be part of the change. I want my children to grow up in a cleaner world which prides itself on caring for the environment. Making this change is just a small step, but being able to charge my car at work made this possible.”
Dee Humphries, Director of EV Solutions at EQUANS UK & Ireland said: “We’re delighted to have installed one of the largest EV charging car parks in Scotland through our partnership with the Royal Bank of Scotland, reaching a significant milestone in our five-year contract. We hope the chargers will provide convenient charging for bank colleagues and visitors, helping to keep drivers on the move and support others to transition to EV.
“The installation highlights that the bank is setting an example for others to adopt more sustainable transport measures, and this installation is a testament to their commitment to a greener future.”
The Gogarburn development is part of the bank’s project to halve operations emissions by 2025 from a 2019 baseline. The bank has committed to supporting staff and visitors to travel sustainably and aim to install EV charging points in 15% of parking spaces by 2025, all of which will be powered by renewable electricity.
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