The Switched on Towns and Cities Challenge Fund supports intensive, high impact capital activity to incentivise, encourage, and promote the use of plug-in electric vehicles.

Urban Foresight was commissioned by Transport Scotland to develop the original concept for the challenge fund and develop a delivery plan for the programme.

The design of the programme drew on Urban Foresight’s expertise in place-based innovation and previous work for Transport Scotland to understand the measures that can be taken at the local-level to support adoption of ultra low emission vehicles.

Our brief was to design a programme for Transport Scotland that could provide funding and technical assistance to local authorities and linked local partners to implement such measures.

This work also benefited from the learning gained from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ Go Ultra Low City Scheme and Urban Foresight’s role in writing Dundee City Council’s successful bid to this fund.

It also followed previous work that Urban Foresight had undertaken for Transport Scotland to design the Switched On @Work and Switched On Fleets programmes delivered by the Energy Saving Trust.

Our work comprised the following key activities:

• Stakeholder interviews to explore current and potential activities.
• Stakeholder workshop to explore a forward plan for Scotland in this area.
• Review of different delivery models.
• Recommendations and outline design of a support programme.

Image credit: Image by Stan Petersen