Sunday, December 22, 2024
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Islington works to support fully electric fleet

Islington Council has installed new electric vehicle chargers and equipment at its waste and recycling centre as it builds towards electrifying its entire vehicle fleet.

For the past three years, major works have taking place at the centre through a £5.7 million project, which has been part-funded by the Mayor of London, allowing the council to convert its entire fleet of vehicles from small cars to 26-tonne refuse collection vehicles to electric.

To date the council has introduced 80 fully-electric battery vehicles to its fleet, including cage tippers and electric minibuses, saving more than 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually – which is enough to power 66 homes every year.   

With the work complete, the local authority will now introduce more electric vehicles to the fleet, as well as reducing the size, with the aim to only use such vehicles by 2030. This would save 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality, and Transport, said: “Here in Islington, we’re determined to create a greener, more equal future, where all can share in the benefits of tackling climate change.   

“Through our work to electrify Islington’s vehicles, we’re lowering the impact of our fleet on climate change, and we’re ensuring that local people see quieter, less-polluting vehicles driving down their streets.   

“In doing so, we can help improve air quality across the borough, which in turn delivers a huge range of health and wellbeing benefits including a lower risk of developing respiratory illness. Electric vehicles are also cheaper to run than diesel-alternatives, which is especially important at a time when council budgets are coming under increasing pressure.  

“The completion of the electrification work at the Waste and Recycling Centre is another major milestone in our efforts to create a more environmentally-friendly fleet.”  

This upgrade was made possible after the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced the project had been awarded £1.5 million through the Good Growth Fund, with Islington Council matching this by providing £1.5m in funding.   

The council has since committed a further £2.7m to the project, taking the total cost to £5.7million. The electric vehicle charging units has been installed by JoJu Solar.   

London’s Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, said: “The Mayor and I are proud to support Islington council as they lead the way on EV charging, reducing their fleet’s contribution to climate change and the air pollution breathed by the borough’s residents.

“This project demonstrates that, with commitment and vision, it’s possible to convert even larger and more specialist vehicles to electric and to improve the air Londoners breathe, as we work to build a greener city for everyone.”

Image from Islington Council

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