TARIFFS for electric vehicle charging in the Wee County have been branded “steep and off-putting” by some residents.

The fees were introduced earlier this year following a trial period of free charging throughout 2022-23.

Fast/AC chargers, 7kW or 22kW, currently cost drivers 48p per kwH while rapid/DC chargers cost 69p per kWk with a minimum spend of £5 for both.

Clackmannanshire Council has come under fire with their fees, which shape up to be much higher than in neighbouring authorities.

In Perth and Kinross, the charges are 30p per kWh and 35p per kWh for fast and rapid chargers, respectively. In neighbouring Stirling, the tariffs are 25p per kWh and 35p per kWh.

Charles McLuckie uses an electric vehicle and insists the fees are too high and has put drivers off charging in Clacks.

He said: “It’s not just as if the output has dropped off since fees has been introduced – people have told me they aren’t using them at all.

“I drive past the chargers frequently in Sauchie and Menstrie and they are completely empty all the time now.

“When they were free, they were being used constantly. We know that can’t go on forever but it seems to me they’ve gone from one extreme to another.

“As a result of the steep pricing, it’s become a bit off-putting and the whole infrastructure has been abandoned now.

“I avoid using the Clacks chargers at all times and instead charge my car in Glasgow when I am at work.”

On top of the fees, a penalty charge of £12 was introduced for drivers who stayed past the first four hours of charging using the fast chargers.

For rapid chargers, a £20 overstay penalty is in place after the first 60 minutes of charging following a 10-minute grace period.

The Advertiser contacted Clacks Council to ask about a potential drop-off in charging since the fees were introduced and if they had plans to bring their prices in line with neighbouring authorities.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Nationally, our tariff rates are in line with most other local authorities, and we have aligned our EV charging tariffs to work in partnership with Falkirk Council and to attract future private investment from suppliers.

“Our aim is to develop a concessionary model with Falkirk and seek a private operator to partner with both authorities to further expand the charging location network, as analysis shows we must partner with other areas to ensure the project can be commercially attractive.

“To draw down future investment from national organisations and attract commercial partners to provide match funding, tariffs must be set at a fair market rate.

“It should be noted that during the council’s climate change forums members of the public who owned electric cars asked for overstay charges to be introduced alongside the new EV charging tariff.

“The charging tariffs have only operated since July 1, and we continue to gather data on the use of the network.”