Above: Gateshead Council transport manager Alasdair Tose with the first of ten electric vans to be delivered
The first of ten brand new state of the art electric vans to keep Gateshead’s streets clean, parks trim and school kids fed has arrived as part of Gateshead Council’s drive for a greener borough.
The new vans, locally built by Smiths Electric Vehicles in Washington and based upon the Ford Transit, will replace diesel vans saving money and drastically reducing emissions. The electric vans, which cost just 5p per mile to run and have zero emissions, join Gateshead Councils two electric cars and four hybrid vans in the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the North East.
The electric vans have been purchased through the governments low carbon vehicle procurement programme which means that they have cost no more than standard diesel vans for Gateshead Council to buy. The electric and hybrid vans will be compared and evaluated in day to day use against their diesel counterparts and if successful could lead to more electric vehicles delivering front line council services.
The electric vans can carry one tonne and have a range of 100 miles on a full charge. A full charge takes eight hours and will be carried out overnight. During the day the vans will be used by staff who maintain Gateshead’s parks, streets and public buildings, deliver school meals and a whole manner of other jobs.
Gateshead Council transport manager Alasdair Tose said: “Gateshead Council is committed to playing a lead role in the rollout of electric vehicles and infrastructure. Our fleet of electric vehicles is the largest local authority fleet in the region, delivering key services to Gateshead residents whilst reducing carbon emissions and saving money at the same time.”
Gateshead Council, in partnership with One North East, is also part of the ‘Plugged in Places’ initiative to provide the infrastructure needed for privately owned electric vehicles. As well as Britain’s first publicly accessible solar powered charging station at Gateshead Civic Centre, a series of mains powered charging points are also being installed at public buildings and facilities across Gateshead.