Leeds City Council takes on 120 electric Renault Kangoo vans

Leeds City Council has taken delivery of 122 Renault Kangoo Z.E.33 compact vans, with 102 to be used in the delivery of a wide range of services across the city, including property maintenance and civil enforcement, and the remaining 20 to be made available to local businesses through its new EV Trials Scheme.

This takes the council’s electric fleet to over 330.

Leeds City Council launched the trial scheme in partnership with Highways England. It allows businesses and organisations in West Yorkshire to trial of electric vans for free, including one of 20 Renault Kangoo Z.E.33 for up to two months. Each van has a range of around 143 miles and will be equipped with telematics devices, which gather journey and charging data, with users receiving a tailored report highlighting the benefits that electric vehicles can generate for their organisation. The Renault Kangoo Z.E. will make up nearly half of the 50 electric vans and cars that are available to trial.

Leeds City Council will charge its new vehicles via its existing charge points and is also in the process of procuring a new charging infrastructure.

Councillor James Lewis, Deputy Leader at Leeds City Council, said: “Leeds City Council already operate more electric vehicles than any other local authority and we are a proud signatory of the Clean Van Commitment. Not only are zero emission vans better for the environment and air that our communities breathe, but they are also cheaper to run and maintain than traditional vehicles. We know that switching to electric vehicles feels like it would be a leap in the dark for some, so we’re looking forward to sharing the benefits of these vans free of charge with businesses and charities across West Yorkshire as part of our EV Trials scheme.”