The number of electric cars in use around the north-east has grown in the past year.
In Aberdeen, from October 2017 to September 2018, the number of electric vehicles on the road increased by 30%.
Figures released by the Department for Transport show the number of registered electric or plug-in hybrid cars, vans and microcars, also known as quadricycles, in each region of the country.
The figures are compiled by quarter each year, with the latest figures available from July to September 2018.
In this period, the number of vehicles rose to 349, which is 80 more than the previous year.
In Aberdeenshire, the number of registered cars has increased by 41% up to 523 – which is 152 more than the 371 recorded between July and September 2017.
In 2013, there were only 18 electric cars in the Aberdeenshire area, whereas in Aberdeen the number was 24.
Despite the rise in the number of electric cars, there are still 102,929 petrol and diesel cars on the road in Aberdeen, and 166,481 in Aberdeenshire, according to the latest complete vehicle registration data from 2017.
The highest percentage of the economically-friendly vehicles in the UK is in Peterborough, which saw a rise of 1,770.
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The news came as the number of visits to electric charging points almost doubled the figure from last year.
The most visited site in the north-east was the Robson car park charging point in Laurencekirk, at 2,014 sessions, followed by two at Burn Lane in Inverurie, the Rapid 50 kilowatts facility at the car park at Stonehaven train station and the village car park in Alford.
The Stonehaven train station also topped the list in 2017, where 1,460 sessions were recorded.
Gregor McAbery, co-ordinator of Friends of the Earth in Aberdeen, said: “It is good to see a 30% increase in sales of full electric vehicles. They are well-suited to a country rich in renewable energy sources such as Scotland.
“Each year these new transport technologies get cheaper, with a wider range of vehicles to choose from, better reliability – and the fast charger network is rapidly expanding.”
Electric cars are increasingly being chosen in the north-east, with more manufacturers releasing models in recent years.
The increase in options available, coupled with lower prices, has created an attractive deal for motorists in the area who do not have to pay for road tax.
The Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) Scotland welcomed the news.
The organisation aims to represent the interests of electric vehicle users in Scotland, as well as promote the cars’ use.
Alister Hamilton, chairman of EVA Scotland, said: “This is a significant increase in EV usage among north-east drivers and a positive change which EVA Scotland is delighted to welcome.
“It is not surprising we are starting to see more widespread adoption of EV use, with a number of incentives, including concessions on home charge-point installation and interest-free electric vehicle loans from Scottish Government.
“This, coupled with increasing battery range and low running and maintenance costs, make switching an attractive proposition.
“Throughout 2019 we hope to see improvements to infrastructure continue to encourage more consumers to make the switch to electric, but these latest figures certainly provide a very encouraging message from the north-east.”
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