Glasgow cements its position as Scottish leader in adpotion of low carbon vehicles
Glasgow has been chosen to participate in the Joined-Cities Plan, an £11m scheme launched by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) that will help cities deploy a network of recharging points for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The scheme has been created to help support the roll-out of a single national network that will ultimately enable plug-in vehicles to be easily used and recharged anywhere, including at home.
Through the Joined-Cities Plan, local authorities and electricity distribution network operators will install recharging infrastructure allowing consumers to easily use their electric vehicles in any of the other major UK cities in the scheme, including Birmingham, Coventry, Glasgow, London, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Oxford and Sunderland.
As the only Scottish city to be included in the project, Glasgow will work with the ETI and ScottishPower to develop and implement detailed plans for the installation that will support thousands of low carbon vehicles from 2011 onwards.
The ETI, a UK based company formed from global industries including BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E-ON, Rolls Royce and Shell and the UK Government, announced it strategy at the Low Carbon Vehicle Event 2009, held at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, today (9 September 2009).
The Plan will make a series of recommendations and help create an environment where motorists using plug-in vehicles can easily locate and use charging points from different providers across the UK.
It also builds on the Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator programme that recently saw a Glasgow based consortium, including the city council and vehicle manufacturer Allied Vehicles, receive more than £1.8m of funding to develop and trial electric cars in the city, over the next two years.
Councillor Irfan Rabbani, executive member for sustainability and the environment, said: “Glasgow is set to become a leader in driving environmental change through the development of electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to make these vehicles a real option for businesses and the public.
“The technologies we hope to bring to the city and the new ground we hope to break with our partners, as part of the Joined Cities network, are about creating a successful and sustainable future for Glasgow.
“The Council is leading by example through facilitating the introduction and procurement of low carbon vehicles and now ensuring the infrastructure required to secure their longevity is in place.”
ETI CEO, David Clarke, said: “The Energy Technologies Institute is pleased to be working with Glasgow City Council to support a UK collaboration to evaluate and accelerate the market for plug-in vehicles.
“Enabling plug-in vehicles to compete effectively in a market alongside petrol and diesel vehicles with their extensive infrastructure is a challenge. These plug-in vehicles are currently unknown to most consumers, who will want to know if they will be versatile, will they be affordable and will they be as easy to refuel/recharge.
“Through the Joined-Cities Plan we will help to enhance the versatility and ease of recharging. Other aspects of the ETI project will determine what it will take to reach a self sustaining mass market.”
Gordon McGregor, Energy and Environment Director at ScottishPower, said: “ScottishPower is committed to helping support the growth of electric vehicles, which will play a key role in the overall reduction of CO2 emissions in Scotland and the UK, alongside the on-going decarbonisation of electricity generation.
“In Glasgow we will be delivering the placement of the physical infrastructure in a safe and convenient manner and configuring the electricity network to support the new infrastructure. We will also be involved in the design of charging points, aiming to ensure that customers get access to affordable electricity for their cars and pay for this energy in an easy way.
“The project in Glasgow under the Joined-Cities Plan is an important step towards delivering the ultimate goal of a UK-wide network, which is critical to encourage large scale take-up of electric vehicles.”
Topics: Britain, clean energy, Economy, electricity distribution network, Energy Technologies Institute, England, environment, ETI, Glasgow, Governance, infrastructure, low carbon vehicles, recharging points, Scotland, Scottish, single national network, UK
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