£5m investment
Fifteen government departments sign up to the green revolution
Fifteen government departments and agencies, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Home Office, will benefit from adding 140 ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) to their fleets.
In a £5 million investment to reduce emissions, the fleet will includes cars and vans used by government when transporting staff and equipment.
The £5 million investment will also fund take-up by the wider public sector – including councils, police forces and the NHS – of plug-in vehicles and pay for charge-points to be installed to allow the vehicles to be charged at work.
This announcement is the first phase in a project designed to illustrate the effectiveness of the vehicles, and encourage fleets to commit to greater take-up over the coming years.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “This is an important step. These cars will save taxpayers money on running costs and will bring low emissions benefits to our fleet.”
ULEVs are a major area of growth for the hugely successful UK automotive sector, which is worth over £11 billion to the economy.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: “I have led the drive for electric cars and vans across government because – with much lower running costs and close to zero emissions – this is the right thing to do for both the environment and the taxpayer.
The investment forms the latest part of a £500 million package set aside for ULEV vehicles announced last year.
