Highways England announced at World EV Day (September 9) that they will be investing over £9.3 to allow business to try electric vehicles before they buy them to see the benefits and cost savings. It’s part of an initiative designed to encourage the use of cleaner zero emitting vehicles that will have a far smaller carbon footprint over their lifetime and help with cleaner air, especially in city locations.
The new scheme works by offering businesses a free trial of electric vehicles for two months to see the advantages for themselves. The hope is that companies will then make the switch from their diesel and petrol fleets to cleaner electric vans permanently.
More than £3 million of funding has already been agreed with Bristol City Council. Other councils including Coventry, Kent, Nottingham and Sheffield are also working on setting up similar schemes.
Chief executive of Highways England, Jim O’Sullivan, 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.”
