Orkney is leading Scotland in the adoption of electric vehicles, with nearly 300 vehicles in the county to date, for both personal and business use. This represents the highest proportion of vehicles on the road in Scotland being electric [1]. OREF realised that it was important to have data on the impact and performance of EVs in Orkney and to that end started a database in 2014.
The database captures information on the number of electric miles travelled per month and also provides the option to log any faults or problems. From analysis OREF can show the subsequent saving in CO2 emissions and easing effect on the Orkney’s grid. It also helps demonstrate how viable EVs are in a rural setting like Orkney. Drivers are invited to register with the free confidential database and every month submit their mileage readings. Click the thumbnail to the left to see an example of the database form.
A monthly report is produced showing distances travelled and overall impact on CO2 and electricity consumed along with faults. The monthly figures show that contrary to popular opinion, Orkney EVs daily travel similar distances to the Scottish average [2].(page 111, Scottish cars travel 22.6 bn km/yr. VEH0105 shows 2.433m cars in Scotland = 25.4miles/day).
The average consumption of EVs in Orkney is approximately 7kWh/day and vehicles are reliable and when surveyed most owners charge at home.
Aditional surveys are occasionally undertaken using the database. These have included two polls on charging habits, and an assay of Nissan LEAF battery condition in late 2017, 2018 and 2019. The results of the survey are shown in the EV Strategy (Appendix B)
The database is not restricted to OREF members and anyone who owns or leases an electric vehicle in Orkney can sign up here or email fit@oref.co.uk for more information.
EVs in use by businesses and staff at the Old Academy Business Centre in Stromness