Falkirk Council grows its EV fleet and charging network

Falkirk Council has taken delivery of a further 10 Kia Soul EVs, taking its electric vehicle fleet to 45 vehicles in total.

The Council has also continued to increase its charging infrastructure with an additional 26 charging points installed, taking the total to 50.

There are additional projects planned over the next 18 months that will see additional charging points throughout the Council area for both public access and Council fleet use. This includes a project at Falkirk Stadium which will see around 30 new canopied photo voltaic charging points being installed.

The fleet procurement was tendered under mini-competition, with the tender process managed by Link Asset Services, the Council’s Treasury advisors.

Supplied by East Kilbride-based Parks Group, the vehicles are funded on contract hire by Daimler Fleet Management.

Pat Taggart, Fleet Manager from Falkirk Council – who was commended in the 2018 Green Fleet Awards - said: “We have had Kia Soul EVs as part of our fleet since February 2017. Using them as part of a mixed fleet, among Citroen C Zeros, Toyota Prius and Nissan eNV200s, we’ve been really impressed with how they have performed. We’ll certainly be adding further EVs in 2019.

“As a council we are firmly committed to further strengthening our environmental credentials. But it’s important that we do so in a cost-effective way. Our budgets are constrained. That’s why the relationship with Link Asset Services is so important to the Council.”

Judith Eadie, Senior Funding Advisor at Link Asset Services, added: “Falkirk Council is a shining light as to how a large fleet of more than 600 vehicles can seamlessly incorporate a growing proportion of electrics. While the majority of the fleet is diesel, the electric vehicles play a fundamental and valuable role.

“Having been advisers to the council since 2011, we have a great understanding of their ethos, their vehicle requirements, and the constraints under which they operate. We look forward to the relationship continuing.”

Scott Chambers from Daimler Fleet Management added: “We love working with customers like Falkirk Council. It’s collaborations like this that led to our commendation as a finalist for Leasing Company of the year at the 2018 Green Fleet awards. We believe that a mixed fleet set-up like this is a benchmark for how vehicles should be utilised. A mix of diesel and EV vehicles allow Falkirk Council to deploy ‘the right vehicle for the job’. It makes sense both economically and environmentally.”