Highways England is encouraging companies with diesel van fleets to make the switch to electric as part of a multi-million pound green incentive.
The company is handing £9.3 million to local authorities so that they can offer businesses a free trial of electric vehicles for two months.
Following a successful pilot with the Energy Saving Trust and a launch with Leeds City Council earlier in the year, councils in Coventry, Kent, Nottingham, and Sheffield are working to set up their own schemes. The company has also announced that more than £3 million of funding has been agreed with Bristol City Council.
It is among a host of measures Highways England is taking to improve air quality and tackle carbon emissions from road transport as the UK takes steps to become a zero-carbon economy by 2050.
“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,” said Jim O’Sullivan, Highways England Chief Executive.
“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.”
