SCOTTISHPOWER IN BIG DRIVE TO USE ELECTRIC VEHICLES

ScottishPower will electrify its vehicle fleet weighing under 3.5 tonnes within the next decade as part of its commitment to reducing greenhouse gases and cutting carbon emissions.

The green energy company – which only produces 100 per cent renewable electricity

– has already rolled out its first fully electric commercial fleet vehicles.

These include Nissan eNV200 electric vans being used in communities across the country by SP Energy Networks, Kia e-Niro cars, Vauxhall Vivaro-e vans, as well as a Pelican Yutong E10 electric bus – the first of its type in Scotland – for Whitelee Windfarm Visitor Centre, south of Glasgow.

Additional EV chargers have been put in place to support the roll-out of the new vehicles. The new EVs complement the existing fleet of electric pool cars and partial hybrid EV 4x4s already in use across ScottishPower.

It marks the start of a major transition to electrify all 1200 vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tonnes by 2030, with further investment of around £2 million already committed for 2022.

Transport accounts for 23 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions and requires urgent action, says the Committee for Climate Change.

The independent body advises the Government and says all new cars and vans should be electric by 2035 and advocates the earlier switchover of 2030 if possible.

This is a more ambitious aim than the UK Government’s current targets to phase out diesel and petrol cars by 2040, although the Scottish Government has identified 2032 as the date to phase out the need for traditional cars.

The challenge is immense – currently fewer than five in every 1000 miles driven are by low-carbon vehicles.

Latest predictions suggest electric cars will be cheaper than conventional ones by the mid-2020s, so the need for electricity and EV charging infrastructure to support this demand will intensify.

ScottishPower’s General Services Director Gemma Rankine said: “Firms like ours must lead by example and show how we’re making the transition to a cleaner, greener future a reality.

“Creating an all-electric commercial fleet is a hugely important piece of the jigsaw and sends a strong signal about the actions we all must take now if we’re to have any hope of achieving a zero-carbon future.

“This is just the latest step in our efforts to tackle the climate emergency, reduce our own emissions and show how we’re becoming a more sustainable business. Fossil-fuel power generation is a thing of the past for us and we’re on our way to making fossil-fuel commercial vehicles obsolete too.”