Nottingham concludes electric van trial

Nottingham City Council has concluded its two-year electric van trial with some 79 businesses planning to take on 158 electric or hybrid vehicles.

The trial, which follows more than £2.6m of funding from National Highways, aimed to speed adoption of electric vehicles in the city council area, ahead of the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars, and Nottingham’s carbon-neutrality and air pollution reduction plans.

It saw 55 electric vans purchased by Nottingham City Council and 122 loans of vans in order for businesses to trial the vehicles before purchasing. Some 61 free-to-use workplace charging points were installed and 73% of organisations involved said they planned to make a switch to either buy or lease battery-electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids.

Local businesses including funeral directors A.W. Lymm and Parcelhub, who took part in the trial, have now made the switch and invested in their own green electric vehicles.   

The 55 electric vans used in the trial will now join the council’s fleet, replacing older petrol or diesel engine vehicles. The vans will be used for activities including deliveries and cleaning up rubbish – taking Nottingham City Council’s overall fleet to 42% electric.  

Councillor Angela Kandola, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and Planning at Nottingham City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to hear businesses and organisations in Nottingham and Derby have had a great experience with their loan of an electric van and that this trial has provided confidence in making the switch in the future. 

“We’ll look forward to seeing the final report and hearing the learnings from other councils who have taken part, so that as a country we can remove some of the barriers to electric vehicle adoption and help us on our way to limiting harmful emissions and air pollution.” 

National Highways Regional Director Andy Jinks, said: “We want to do all we can to look after the wellbeing of our customers – everyone who uses our roads and those who live or work near them. That includes making a difference when it comes to air quality. 

“We know that emissions from vehicles using our roads contribute to poor air quality, posing risks to people’s health and wellbeing 

“That’s why we were delighted to be able to support the EVE trial and are even more delighted to be celebrating its success. It’s great to hear so many businesses have had an opportunity to try out electric and hybrid vehicles without any pressure or commitment and are now planning to take the leap and add this cleaner, greener technology to their fleet for their benefit as well as that of the rest of the community.” 

Image courtesy of Nottingham City Council

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