In the latest instalment of Talking Transport + Energy talks to the London Borough of Islington’s Chris Demetriou.
Demetriou, the Assistant Director of Corporate Fleet, Transport & Accessible Community Transport at the borough, and who has been a leader in the transition to public-sector electric vehicle fleets, has previously spoken at the T+E Fleet Electrification Forum.
He said that “transport and energy are now intertwined more than every before”.
“As we move to EVs, it will include managing energy demand and decarbonsing buildings, V2G, charging in depots…” he continued, “that link is really strong now.”
Demetriou said that it was a “challenge”, but “as a fleet manager, that link with energy is becoming more now. Energy is a commodity, and we should be thinking about electricity in that way.”
Speaking with Alec Peachey, who said Islington were a “great example of doing rather than just saying”, Demetriou explained how, since Islington declared a climate emergency in 2019, it was “one thing to talk about it” and “another to do it”, including various schemes around decarbonising vehicles, buildings, and planting trees.
He also explained directly how fleets transitioned to EVs, and the impact that had on carbon emissions, as well as how the local authority started with low-hanging fruit, before moving to the more complex areas of the transition, such as HGVs and other heavier transport.
Discover his full commentary on fleet transition on the video below, including funding, driver and citizen buy-in, infrastructure, and specific examples around how Islington achieved its goals.
