The Department for Transport has shortlisted 10 companies to provide low-carbon and electric vans to six councils, in a bid to encourage the mass production of ‘green’ vans.
The 10 companies – including Ford, Mercedes Benz, Citroen, and Electric Vehicles – are bidding to provide the vans to councils and other public sector bodies, including the Environment Agency.
Liverpool, Newcastle, Gateshead, Coventry, Glasgow and Leeds will be among the first councils to trial more sustainable vans on their streets in the £20M project. Transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, made the announcement on Monday, as he set out the next steps across government to deliver a £100M commitment to accelerate the emergence of greener vehicles.
Mr Hoon said: ‘Vans make up around 15% of road transport emissions in the UK, and their emissions are rising more than any other mode of road transport.
‘In the public sector, there is considerable demand for vans, so we want to use our spending power to lead the way in developing lower-carbon options which will appeal across the board.’
Hoon also announced plans to encourage car manufacturers to take part in a £10M project to run electric car and ultra low-carbon vehicle-demonstration projects.
Around 100 electric cars will be provided in towns and cities across the UK in order to provide motorists with the chance to ‘give feedback on the practical steps needed to make greener motoring an everyday reality’. The Government estimates about one million jobs could be generated by 2030 by the low-carbon economy.
Up to £20M has also been dedicated to UK research into improving technology that could make electric and other alternatively-fuelled cars more practical and affordable. Work also continues with energy companies and the National Grid to assess the impact on the electricity system of the widespread use of electric-drive vehicles.
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