A network of on-street electric vehicle charging hubs will be installed across Edinburgh after the local authority’s Transport and Environment Committee approved the plans.

The network, which will be made up of 66 on-street charging points, is part of the council’s electric vehicle infrastructure business case, which proposed the implementation of 211 on-street charging points by 2023 at a cost of £3.3m, according to a report on the Holyrood.com news website.

The project for installing the first tranche of chargers by 2020 is being backed by a £2.2m grant from Transport Scotland.

“We are leading the country with our bold, strategic approach to providing on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and I’m delighted that we’re now able to move forward with the first stage of our implementation plan,” the Transport & Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said. “We’ve seen an exponential rise in the popularity of electric vehicles over the last few years, and we want to see this continue.”

Charging equipment will be located on roads, rather than pavements, to reduce street clutter, and will be placed near, but not adjacent to, residential properties, to allow residents to park outside their homes.

Meanwhile, a network of solar-powered car parks where electric vehicles can be charged are to be set up in Scotland as part of a UK-wide ‘Smart Hubs’ trial set up by a consortium of energy experts. It is due to get started later this year.