Council switches to hybrid vehicles
Argyll and Bute Council has just taken delivery of 20 new cars as part of its new green transport fleet.
The cars are Ultra Low Emission Vehicles, partially funded by the Scottish Government, and will replace older cars and vans now to be removed.
Some of the new fleet were spotted this week parked up in the Corran Hall’s car park.
Through Transport Scotland’s Switched-on Fleets Grant, for every three-year lease paid for by the council, the Scottish Government will pay the lease for an additional vehicle - as long as the council takes a diesel car off the road for each new vehicle added.
The Scottish Government intends to end the sale of new petrol or diesel cars in Scotland by 2032. Argyll and Bute Council has just taken delivery of 20 Mitsibushi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) commercial vans. There will also be 10 Mitsibushi Outlander PHEV cars and 10 Toyota Prius PHEV cars. Once all the vehicles are delivered the council fleet will have 46 electric vehicles, which makes up 10 per cent of the fleet.
Councillor Robin Currie, Policy Lead for Housing, Roads and Infrastructure Services, said: ‘Argyll and Bute as a whole has embraced electric vehicles. In 2018, 4.5 per cent of cars sold here were electric, which was second highest in the country. Technology is coming on in leaps and
20 Mitsibushi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles.
bounds. We now have ultra-low emission vehicles that suit the long distances council staff have travel to carry out their day-to-day work.
‘As a council we are committed to finding ways of beating climate change. Grants like Switched-on Fleets mean we can accelerate the switch-over to cleaner energy. Moving to a new type of engine also provides training and development opportunities for our staff, particularly our apprentices.
‘I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our supplier, Parks of Hamilton. The team there pulled out all the stops to get the vans delivered during the COVID-19 crisis and we are very grateful.’