Electric car owners will have to pay to charge their cars at council-owned sites from next year.
Tariffs are being introduced for the use of charging points operated by the council on January 4.
The local authority said a larger than expected rise in usage meant they could not continue “to cover the electricity consumption costs and ongoing maintenance costs.”
It was revealed that the volume of charging across the region in 2020 so far had already risen to more than 27,000 kWh compared to 26,000 for the whole of 2019.
When the units were first brought in, there was an expectation by Transport Scotland that there would be no charge to the customer to use the EV units to help support a bigger uptake of electric vehicles.
However, an increase in costs associating with operating and maintaining the charging network along with growing pressure on the council budget means it will no longer be free.
Last year, the council approved the recommended charge of £0.21 per kWh.
This price could change over time and will be reviewed annually.
All customers will be charged once a month for using tariffs, with their invoice broken down into each transaction.
This will detail the date and time of the charge, the charge point number, the site name of the charge point, and the cost.
Once the charges go live on January 4, tariffs can be viewed at https://chargeplacescotland.org/live-map/
Head of Transportation Ewan Wallace said: “Electric vehicle usage is increasing across Aberdeenshire with the number of charging sessions exceeding 2019 rates for July, August and September.
“Although the initial provision of electricity on a no-cost basis to motorists will have aided the early move to electric vehicle use, Aberdeenshire Council cannot continue to cover the electricity consumption costs and ongoing maintenance costs.”
