By Royal Appointment? Electric Cars Welcome in Prince of Wales’ Eco-village

By Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Contributing Writer BIO

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield is a self-confessed petrol head. She grew up in a carless family but was able at a very early age to name cars passing her on... More

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His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

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While many in the United Kingdom doubt that he will accede his mother Queen Elizabeth II to the throne and become King, HRH the Prince of Wales has never been one to shy away from helping his subjects combine quintessential British values with new technology. 

His latest project does exactly that, combining the unlikely bedfellows of rural redevelopment and electric cars in a new eco-village.

2011 Chevrolet Volt home charging

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While he has been a passionate - and sometimes controversial - supporter of what many would describe a traditional British rural way of life, the Prince’s love of architecture, organic farming, sustainable living and electric cars has cumulated in Knockroon, a brand-new development in south-west Scotland where every one of its 700 homes will be built with electric car charging stations.

In addition, residents will be automatically enrolled in the village car-share scheme, giving them access to longer-range diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars when they need to make trips beyond the range of a conventional electric car. Sadly though, we don’t expect there to be an eco-friendly wine-powered Aston Martin DB6 included in the pool. 

Oh well. 

East Ayrshire, Scotland

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Approximately 40 and 90 miles respectively from the Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, residents of Knockroon will theoretically be able to reach both cities in cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt (Sold in the U.K. as the Vauxhall Ampera), although a planned rapid charger en-route to Edinburgh should help make the trip there more practical.

While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a new housing development coming pre-wired for electric cars, it is the first time a development outside of a major metropolitan area has seen such large electric car infrastructure developed as part of a new housing program.

As such, expect worldwide interest in the development as it seeks to prove that electric cars can be successfully used as a primary form of transport even in rural communities provided appropriate charging infrastructure is available. 

[edit] As one of our eagle-eyed readers has pointed out, electric cars aren't actually by Royal Appointment to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, but certainly highly thought of....

[Scotland on Sunday]