Friday 11 September 2020

Highways England invests £9.3m in ‘try before you buy’ EV scheme

Highways England has announced an investment of £9.3 million for a scheme that allows businesses to try electric vehicles (EVs) for free before they buy the zero carbon cars.

The 'try before you buy' initiative has been designed to encourage businesses with diesel van fleets to make the shift to cleaner and lower carbon vehicles.

The funding is being given to local authorities, which will offer businesses a free trial of EVs for two months.

More than £3 million of funding has been agreed with Bristol City Council for the project.

This is among a host of measures being undertaken by Highways England to improve air quality and tackle carbon emissions from road transport as the UK moves towards becoming a net zero economy by 2050.

Jim O'Sullivan, Highways England Chief Executive said: “We are working with councils across the country to encourage businesses to make the switch to electric vehicles and we expect many more to start using electric vehicles when they experience the savings possible.

“This is a key example of how we are using designated funds to benefit the environment and communities around our roads as well as the people travelling and working on them.”

It follows a successful pilot with Energy Saving Trust and a launch with Leeds City Council earlier this year, which saw electric vans being driven more than 10,000 miles as part of the city's emergency coronavirus response.

Councillor James Lewis, Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council added: “Since launching the EV Trials scheme with Highways England in January, we’ve had a great response. Hundreds of local businesses and charities have already signed up to the scheme and its fantastic to see so many organisations leading by example.

“It’s still early days but it’s really promising to see participants starting to invest in electric vehicles of their own. Every organisation choosing to switch to EVs is making a real difference—helping to clean the air we breathe and tackle the climate emergency.”