Scottish Government funding helps bring seven new zero emission vehicles to council fleet
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Aberdeenshire Council has taken delivery of five new electric vehicles and two hydrogen vehicles.
These zero-emission vehicles - which were 75 per cent funded by the Scottish Government’s Switched on Fleets initiative - will replace older vehicles within the local authority’s fleet.
The two Nissan ENV200 vans, three Nissan Leaf cars and two Toyota Mirai hydrogen cars have already been providing support to a number of key council services ranging from Waste and Roads to Car Parks and Social Care.
By 2032, the Scottish Government intends to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans in Scotland.
Aberdeenshire Council now has 24 zero-emission and hybrid vehicles in its fleet and, as technology advances and more vehicles come to market, the authority is able to introduce vehicles which are fit-for-purpose and suit the distances staff need to travel to provide frontline services across the region.
Councillor Peter Argyle, chair of the council’s infrastructure services committee, said: “Aberdeenshire Council is committed to de-carbonising its fleet and grants like Switched on Fleets mean we can accelerate the change to cleaner vehicles.
"Switching to these alternative power types also brings training and development opportunities for the council’s vehicle maintenance teams, particularly our apprentices.”
Head of Transportation, Ewan Wallace, added: “As a forward-thinking council we must look to the future and take action now to provide clean transport alternatives.
"The rapid advancement in technology and range of these particular new vehicles was key in choosing them for our vehicle fleet.”
