North Lanarkshire Council has announced a new partnership with Scottish EV charging specialist FOR EV electrify its entire fleet of vehicles, without any upfront cost to the council.

The project, delivered through FOR EV’s “Charging-as-a-Service” model, will leverage private sector capital to build six DC charging bays and other essential infrastructure at the council’s Old Edinburgh Road site in Bellshill.

Once up and running, FOR EV said that the Bellshill site will then be able to support other registered public sector fleets, providing access to rapid charging points at a strategic location at the heart of Scotland’s motorway network.

“Across our fleet, we are moving to electric vehicles and installing more charging points to support the transition to electric vehicles,” said John McElhinney, Fleet Business Manager at North Lanarkshire Council.

“The new facility at our Bellshill depot, delivered by FOR EV, is a significant and innovative development in the council’s strategy to achieve net zero.”

Working without government funding, the firm hopes to reinforce the “immense potential” for private sector investment to push forward the expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure across the country, and demonstrate a financially sustainable pathway for wider EV adoption.

“Our Charging-as-a-Service model is proving that the transition to electric fleets can be achieved efficiently and cost-effectively, without relying on public funds,” said Lindsay Yeoman, head of sales at FOR EV.  

“This project sets a new precedent for how local authorities can embrace electrification, and we believe it will serve as a blueprint for similar initiatives across the UK.”

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Local authorities across Scotland have been steadily electrifying their fleets. Dundee City Council first introduced EVs into its fleet as early as 2011, since when 40% of the council’s cars and vans are now battery powered, while last year, Falkirk Council replaced twelve of its heavy diesel vehicles with EVs.

Likewise, Edinburgh City Council unveiled its new Electric Refuse Collection Vehicles (eRCVs) back in 2023, and as of March 2025, reported that 100% of its cars were also electric, while in Glasgow, plans are underway to see that only electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles are in operation across the city council’s fleet by 2030.