Leicester Council has made the decision to replace their fleet of 15 diesel fleet vehicles with all-electric zero-emission models.
As part of a 6 month trial, the council will trial a small fleet of all-electric vehicles in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. A range of EVs will be tested, including the Renault Kangoo ZE.
If the trial is successful the council could replace a further 95 diesels with EVs over the next 3 years.
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “Increasing the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles is one of the key aims of our proposed action plan to further improve air quality in the city over the next 10 years.
“As a local authority, we need to lead by example. Replacing 15 vehicles in our diesel fleet with electric vehicles will give us the chance to thoroughly test their suitability over a number of months and in a range of service areas.
“Ultimately, we’d like to see the majority of the council’s diesel vehicles replaced with ultra-low emission alternatives over time.”
Leicester is one of 12 local authorities which has been shortlisted for a share of the £35 million in the Go ULtra Low City scheme. The council is bidding for £11.7 million, which would support work to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles in Leicester over the next five years. With this support, they hope to have 10,000 ULEVs on Leicester’s roads by 2021. A decision on the bid is expected in early December 2015.
Leicester Mercury
