Stagecoach Supertram has invested in two electric vans for its response vehicle fleet to help further reduce its carbon footprint.
The firm signed up for the new plug-in vehicles through the Department for Transport’s ‘Local Sustainable Transport Fund’ in a bid to help reduce local air pollution by replacing their older company vehicles and cutting exhaust emissions.
Delivered locally by Inmotion! - a partnership between South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and the local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield – with npower, South Yorkshire’s Electric Vehicle Project offers businesses a grant of up to £10,500 for the flexible lease of a Plug-in van or £7,500 for a Plug-in car for up to 48 months. An additional grant of £500 towards the cost of installing a workplace charging point is also available.
Supertram is investing over £25,000 on a new charging point and new vehicles. As well as reducing exhaust emissions for healthier and cleaner roads, making the switch to the Nissan NV200 electric vans will help Supertram benefit from lower running costs and no road tax, when Stagecoach engineers are needed to attend work sites on parts of the Supertram network for local deliveries and maintenance.
The installation of an Electric Vehicle charging point at the Nunnery Depot also means the company can charge its vehicles on site.
Jay Bolsover, Stagecoach Supertram Facilities Manager, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of our business and these new vehicles will help us further reduce our carbon footprint as a company. Tram travel is one of the most environmentally friendly transport options.
“Our new electric vans are perfect for response staff doing local journeys around the city. Having replaced older vehicles, we expect a significant saving in fuel and running costs too. We’ve already earned a 3-star rating under the ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme, crediting the improvements we’ve made to our fleet and operations. We will continue to work hard to attract even more customers on to our greener, smarter tram travel as well as taking measures to further reduce the impact of our operations on the environment.“
David Young, SYPTE Interim Director General, said: “Inmotion! is opening the door to companies across South Yorkshire to take advantage of the range of Local Sustainable Transport Fund schemes on offer, which have a significant benefit to the local environment, provide cost savings to businesses and support economic growth by helping people access jobs and training.”
Inmotion!’s Electric Vehicle Project runs until 31 March 2016. Current Plug-in vehicles offered through the scheme include the Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe, Renault Twizy, Renault Kangoo and Nissan NV200 vans, with flexible lease terms of 12, 24, 36 and 48 months.
For more information visit evinmotion.co.uk