Electric shock... council cars do just 1,600 miles a year
ELECTRIC cars bought by Scots councils are covering as little as 1,600 miles a year.
Despite price tags in the region of £25,000 per vehicle, the majority of electric cars are being drastically under-used by staff.
Figures reveal numerous cases of electric vehicles covering well under 4,000 miles.
The RAC estimates the average annual mileage of a company car at 18,600.
Experts say council staff may be reluctant to use the electric cars bought for their use because they fear running out of power and being stranded.
In 2012, Clackmannanshire bought four Renault Kangoo ZE vans at a total cost of £96,625 to taxpayers. Since then, one of the vehicles has travelled an average of just 2,367 miles. Even the most-used electric car ran up an average mileage of only 5,421.
A spokesman even admitted the cost of owning and operating the cars was £2.74 per mile per vehicle – well above the RAC’s estimated average of 55p/mile to run a car.
Falkirk Council also revealed it had purchased four electric cars, costing up to £26,145 each in 2012. One of these vehicles, a Citroen C-Zero which cost £22,712, had an average yearly mileage of just 1,590.
South Ayrshire Council has also spent £87,423 on four electric vehicles, with one travelling just 2,341 miles per year since coming into use in July 2012.
Glasgow City Council has spent £282,700 on 11 cars which have cost £1,500 a year each in upkeep over 4,000 miles a year.
And after spending £70,000 on three vehicles, one of Edinburgh Council’s cars travelled an average of just 7,538 miles a year.
Jonathan Isaby of the Tax Payers’ Alliance said: ‘Going green is a worthy goal but that’s no excuse for throwing money away on electric cars that are barely used.’
Scottish Tory transport spokesman Alex Johnstone branded use of the vehicles an ‘inefficient and expensive fad’.