Bristol’s City Council takes electric steps towards 2050 emissions goal

Bristol’s target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 is one step nearer with the introduction of new electric vehicle (EV) charging points and a conversion to electric for part of the council’s fleet.

Using £2 million, provided by Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) through the Go Ultra Low West project, Bristol City Council will be adding 120 new public chargepoints across the West of England.

Seven electric Peugeot Partner vans will be used by various council departments such as repairs and maintenance, Parks and Estates and the Records Office.

In addition, the council’s Parking Services team are taking delivery of six Nissan Leaf Zero Emission cars to use in and around central Bristol.

The Council aims to have at least 10 per cent of its fleet made up of EVs by 2021.

Councillor Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste and Regulatory Services, said: “These are good steps on our journey to becoming a carbon neutral city by 2050 and a big boost for those in Bristol wanting to adopt EVs. Across the city in both business and private use, we’re seeing a rise in EV take up, so we will continue to look at ways in which we can support this growing trend.

“As a council, we have a responsibility to lead by example and despite reducing our carbon emissions by 60 per cent three years early, we’re already looking at ways to meet our new targets ahead of time. It’s great to see so many people in the city thinking more about how they travel and the impact on the environment. This is a great thing for staff using the council’s pool cars and will no doubt inspire other businesses to explore the benefits of a green fleet.”

The first set of OLEV-funded ‘pilot’ chargepoints have already been installed for use by car club vehicles and will be ready for use later in 2018. Public chargepoints will also be installed at various locations across Bristol, with many more locations to follow over the next three years.