Plug-in cars for Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomats

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is replacing diplomats’ official cars with low-carbon vehicles to improve its environmental footprint.

The UK’s Oslo and Holy See Embassies have already replaced their cars, and 30 other UK posts around the world will be among the first to receive either an all-electric Jaguar I-Pace or a hybrid vehicle by April 2020. Fast charging stations will be installed at posts as part of the programme.

The FCO is working towards targets set for all government departments to have a 25% electric fleet by 2022 and an all-electric fleet by 2030.

The FCO is also extending the use of solar energy on its buildings to reduce its carbon footprint and eliminating the use of single-use plastics across its global estate – saving 142,000 items from going to landfill every year.

Sir Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, said: "Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and our fleet of flag cars is a high-profile tool for demonstrating the UK’s international leadership on climate change diplomacy.

"I want us to be the greenest diplomatic service in the world. Shifting our vehicles away from petrol to all-electric will help us achieve this."

The UK will host COP26 in 2020. The event in Glasgow next year will be the UN’s 26th climate change conference, and bring together over 30,000 delegates from around the world, including climate experts, business leaders and citizens to agree ambitious action to tackle climate change.