Which bright spark left eco cars at COP26 with no juice?

Green vehicles but red faces as there are too few charging points

WHEN organisers of COP26 unveiled the vehicles that would ferry VIPs around the global environmental summit, electric cars were the obvious green option.

But it has now emerged that there are not enough power points in Glasgow to charge the fleet, leading to the embarrassing prospect that massive generators will have to be shipped in to provide the energy.

There are fewer than 250 electric charging points in the city – about one for every 23 such cars. And when the conference starts next Sunday, demand will soar from the extra 250 Jaguar Land Rovers on hand for high-level delegates.

A COP26 spokesman admitted that generators might be needed – but insisted that they would run on hydrogenated vegetable oil derived from waste products such as chip fat, rather than dirtier fuels such as diesel.

The Government said the Jaguars being used, including I-Pace SUVs, ‘have all been sourced from existing fleets in the UK, helping ensure the carbon footprint remains low’.

Jaguar Land Rover said the cars, which each cost more than £62,000, could travel 292 miles on a single charge – enough to travel from Glasgow to John O’Groats.

COP26, held at the Scottish Event Campus, will be the highest-profile event ever staged in Scotland, with around 25,000 people and 120 heads of state set to attend.

A huge security operation, codenamed Operation Urram, will involve 10,000 officers and 200 police dogs deployed each day, including officers on secondment from England. Specialist ‘protest removal’ squads will be ready to crack down on any illegal disruptions, with the Armed Forces and coastguard on alert for serious threats.

In addition to protests from the likes of Insulate Britain, Extinction Rebellion and Greenpeace, Glasgow faces more disruption from the sheer number of extra visitors, exacerbated by RMT union rail strikes and key road closures.

COP26 has been described as the ‘last best hope for the world to get its act together’ on climate change – but China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not attend, delivering a blow to hopes of substantial progress. It is hoped the Queen will attend a banquet for delegates.