Richmondshire District Council has taken delivery of a new electric car.
Officials say the electric vehicle is being used by staff needing to travel around the district on council business and is helping to reduce the authority’s carbon footprint.
The council said it would also bring down costs by removing the mileage normally paid for personal car use.
“This a great new addition to the Richmondshire fleet and one that will bring in considerable savings for the council,” said spokesman Councillor Phillip Wicks.
“It is hoped it will cover around 10,000 miles a year, saving over 1,700g of CO2 emissions – the equivalent to over 900 litres of petrol. This will also save the council about £4,000.
“One of our users has already commented how much she likes to use the car saying it is not only great to drive but is raising the awareness of using these vehicles in rural areas as opposed to cities – and she is reducing our carbon footprint along the way!”
The car is charged at the council’s Richmond based depot and has a range of over 200 miles when fully charged.
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You should also ask what was the actual cost of the car compared to a petrol equivalent model
How many years will it take to achieve a payback on this?
Also why not put the charging point in the Council car park opposite Mercury House which could be used by the public at weekends rather than locked up on Gallowfields where it would only be used intermittently and what was the cost of that installation which needs to be factored in
Ok in the summer ,but come winter time with the car heater on and the lights and windscreen wipers working you will soon drain the power. Then the power cuts in winter you will not be going anywhere. Saving £4000 a year, how much did the car cost in the first place?
Hi Simon , love your comments! Think you are right how much does it cost , but, I’d say cheaper then they say , 10k miles x .45p for using your own car (guessing here), and probably charging at the depot for 4p a mile means a saving of £4100 , tax =. £0, servicing compared to a combustion engine again a healthy saving,leas pollution on the roads , yes they are slow to the party but at least they are trying.
A few chargers in town though would attract more visitors
I moved from Richmond to South Ayrshire a few years ago, up here most council car parks have EV charging points and the public can use them for free. Parking is also free in most council car parks. The council also has fleets of EV vehicles for staff use. As normal Richmondshire Council is behind the times and poorly organised.