Giving England’s west a taste of electric zest

Following the awarding of £7 million to help fund continued development and uptake of ULEVs across the region, GreenFleet WEST securely placed Bristol on the EV landscape. GreenFleet reflects upon the event and the manufacturers who attended.

GreenFleet WEST arrived at Leigh Court, Bristol on 20 May to advise, encourage and collaborate with key decision-makers on the benefits of plug‑in vehicles. The fleet show for Bristol gathered key industry players from different organisations to share and raise awareness around electric and plug in vehicles.

GreenFleet WEST was held in association with the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and Bristol City Council, along with Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Councils. A collaboration between the councils amounted to a £7 million grant, announced in January, to help fund continued development and uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV) across the region and all four authorities plan to use the funding to convert 20-25 per cent of their light vehicles to ULEVs, which will result in massive savings on fuel bills as well as a huge reduction in the harmful emissions being pumped into the region’s airspace.

As a result, and building on the success of GreenFleet WEST 2015, Bristol became the second Go Ultra Low City to host a GreenFleet car and plug-in technology event, where businesses from across the West experienced the vehicles and technology, first-hand.

At GreenFleet WEST this year, Elm EV and Schneider Electric shared their knowledge on the specialist charging equipment they provide, while Route Monkey showed visitors how organisations could reduce fuel bills by up to 20 per cent, by using telematics to improve scheduling and routing.

Seminars
Alongside OLEV and Bristol City Council, representatives from Business West and Alphabet also delivered keynote presentations on the day. Motoring journalist and TV presenter Quentin Willson chaired the seminar sessions and also delivered his own keynote presentation on ‘The future of mobility’.

After the seminar session, delegates were given the chance to break out for closed group sessions with the major electric and hybrid motor manufacturers and related companies, to discuss any electric vehicle concerns and share experiences.

Test drives
The major motor manufacturers’ presence allowed delegates the opportunity to test drive the vehicles they have to offer. BMW’s first electric car, the i3, was available for test drives on the day, as a pure EV, and as a range-extended version. With a range of up to 100 miles in the standard comfort driving mode, the popular i3 more than covers the typical driving demands for commuting. If you need the reassurance of being able to drive further, a BMW i3 with a range extender increases the range to up to 186 miles.

Bristol also showcased vehicles from Nissan, the current EV and LCV Manufacturer of the Year, with the Nissan e-NV200, which is perfect if a small van is needed for your business, featuring an impressive range of 106 miles and zero CO2 emissions. This year we were also delighted to bring you one of the first showings of the Nissan e-NV200 Evalia, the seven seat option of the impressive electric van, which also has a range of 106 miles and zero CO2 emissions, plus a 30-minute rapid charge option. Both vehicles were available for test drives and proved popular with our audience.

Mitsubishi paraded the award-winning Outlander PHEV, which offers high economy at just 42g/km CO2. The Outlander’s ultra low emissions mean that it is completely exempt from VED, and has a combination of a high efficiency petrol engine and electric motors, making it capable of an impressive 156mpg.

EVOLUTION Bristol
Following on from GreenFleet WEST, the EVOLUTION Motor Show came back to the Millennium Square on the 21 May, after its resounding success in 2015. Coming after the already established fleet event, organisers at PSi Ltd persevered with a second consumer day to allow the wider public to experience the vehicles.

This free event also saw manufacturers such as Mitsubishi, BMW and Nissan showcasing an array of low emission vehicles.

Both events were staged in association with OLEV and Bristol City Council, along with Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Councils.

If you are a local authority and would like to discuss how we can take this informative showcase to your region, then please contact colin.boyton@psigroupltd.co.uk

Further information
events.greenfleet.net/about-west
bristol.evolutionshow.co.uk