GreenFleet York hailed a success
Feature
GreenFleet went to the ‘Go Ultra Low’ City of York on 12 October, bringing with it experts in green-motoring to share their knowledge with fleet managers, as well as electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to test drive.
The city of York was awarded ‘Go Ultra Low’ status by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) earlier this year, becoming one of eight UK cities chosen as exemplars for the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, and the only city in Yorkshire to receive the scheme’s funding. The Council was awarded £816,000, to invest in an ultra‑low emission programme, including a city wide network of rapid charging hubs. These will provide state‑of‑the‑art, ultra-fast, reliable and convenient rapid charging for key vehicle groups such as taxis, private motorists and business users.
In partnership with the City of York Council, on 12 October, GreenFleet hosted an event in York, where fleet managers were able to learn from green-motoring experts and test drive the latest zero and ultra low emission vehicles.
Sponsored by Leaseplan and Automotive Leasing, the event was kicked off by an opening address from motoring journalist and TV presenter Quentin Wilson, who owns an electric vehicle. Delegates then listened to presentations from OLEV, City of York Council, Leaseplan, amongst others.
Feedback from delegates has been extremely positive, with many sharing how they had an informative event that will help them green their fleets in the future.
Presentations
OLEV’s Steve Ives gave an update on the government’s push for decarbonising transport, including its aim for all new cars to be zero-emission from 2040 and all cars by 2050. He recapped on the incentives that are available for electric vehicles, and the current state of the UK’s charging infrastructure, which has over 10,000 publicly available charge points. Ives wrapped up the presentation with an update on the £40m Go Ultra Low City Scheme, and what each area is doing to lower emissions.
Derek McCreadie from City of York Council presented on what the city is doing with the scheme’s funding to cut carbon, including developing ‘hyper hubs’ – a network of ultra low carbon transport refuelling hubs powered by solar energy (via solar car ports or canopies).
Chris Pepper from fleet management firm LeasePlan painted a picture of where the UK is in terms of alternative fuels, and how concerns over EV range, infrastructure and affordability are all continuing to improve.
After the morning’s presentations, delegates broke into groups for informal sessions with the exhibitors to learn about electric and hybrid vehicles and associated products. Quentin Wilson hosted a round table discussion with each of the groups, which allowed them to ask questions and raise concerns about the practicalities of living with an electric vehicle.
Kate Armitage from Route Monkey lead one of the workshops, talking about how its technology is helping fleets with route optimisation and fleet scheduling solutions, as well as the work it is doing in the electric vehicle market.
Also available on the day to share their electric recharging knowledge were: the Phoenix Works, Schneider Electric, Elm EV, and Charged EV. York based car and van hire company Autohorn was also present, along with Speedy Hire who brought with them a van-version of the BMW i3.
The vehicles
The once British-owned LDV showcased its 215-mile range, electric van, the EV80, which is said to be able to be recharged in two hours. Now Chinese-owned, LDV vans had big fleet customers in its hey day, such as Royal Mail and the national grid.
BMW were on hand to discuss its i electric brand and allow delegates to drive the futuristic-looking i3. The pure electric version has a range of 125 miles, while the range extender version has a small petrol engine that drives a generator to maintain the level of the battery, and extend the range.
JCT600 dealer group showcased a selection of its ultra-low emission vehicles from Mercedes, Audi, and Volkswagen.
Delegates were able to drive the VW Golf GTE, which combines GTI dynamics with e-Golf sustainability. This plug-in hybrid drives up to 31 miles when fully charged in all-electric mode, and up to 580 miles when petrol and electric are combined.
Also present was the Passat GTE, a plug-in hybrid that can be driven up to 31 miles on electric power alone, and 660 miles in total before refuelling.
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric was also available to test drive, which offers zero tailpipe emissions, a range of up to 124 miles, and can be fully charged in as little as three hours.
Mercedes-Benz’s C350 Plug-in hybrid was also showcased. It can do 19.3 miles in electric mode on a fully charged battery, with a combined consumption of 134.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 48g/km. Delegates also got to drive the Audi A3 e-tron, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. It has a purely electric range of up to 29 miles, but the combination of electric motor and petrol engine offers a range of approximately 536 miles.
Low and ultra-low
Another hybrid that was available on the day was the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The Outlander PHEV is currently the UK’s best selling plug-in, with total registrations topping 25,000 this October. 11,681 registered in 2015, meaning that the Outlander PHEV accounted for 61 per cent of the entire plug-in hybrid segment, and it has enjoyed continued success in 2016, with 7,800 registered in the first three quarters of the year.
Another pure EV in attendance was the electric van, the Nissan e-NV200, which combines the technology of Nissan’s Leaf with the practicality of the NV200 van. Powered by a 24kWh rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, the electric LCV boasts a 4.2m3 cargo capacity and is capable of holding a 703kg payload, with a serviceable range of up to 106 miles.
Nissan also brought its new 30kWh Leaf, which now has a claimed range of 155 miles – an increase of 25 per cent compared to the previous model.
