Leicester City Council welcomes new fleet of EVs
News
30 Jun 2016
Leicester City Council has taken delivery of a new fleet of Nissan Leaf electric vehicles (EV), which will be put into service across the city.
The EVs will replace some of the council’s aging diesel fleet and will help cut the authority’s air pollution and improve air quality. The Leafs will be joined by five larger van versions in the coming weeks.
In total, the EVs cost £287,000, and were purchased through the council’s save to buy budget. The scheme involved installing a number of charging points at council offices, depots and other key locations.
Leicester City Council is expect to save around £1,000 for each vehicle, compared to the running of older models. If the six-moth trial of the EVs prove successful, the council will consider replacing a further 95 diesel vehicles with ULEV alternatives.
Councillor Adam Clarke, assistant city mayor for energy and sustainability, commented: “Increasing the number of ultra-low emission vehicles on our roads is one of the agreed actions in the city’s plan to improve air quality of the next ten years.
“It is important that the council is seen to be leading the way by replacing our old diesel vehicles with clean, all-electric alternatives as far as possible.
“Putting these new all-electric vehicles into service across a wide range of council teams will give us the chance to thoroughly check their suitability for different uses. That will help determine how we roll this out in future months and years. We also hope it will encourage other organisations to do the same with their own fleet vehicles.
