GreenFleet showcases the biggest collection of EVs in Scotland

Visitors to GreenFleet Scotland in Edinburgh last week were given the opportunity to touch, taste and experience the latest electric vehicles, including the Vauxhall Ampera, Nissan LEAF and Citroen C-ZERO.

The event, at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, was a big success in educating Fleet Managers and those responsible for lowering emissions from transport about the latest developments in the green arena. Seminar sessions focused on Electric Vehicles and charging infrastructure, as well as route tracking, speed limiting and other ways to save fuel.

Eco Driving

Ten teams from the public and private sectors took to the Edinburgh roads in order to demonstrate how driving techniques make a difference to fuel consumption. The Fuel Efficient Driving Experience saw all teams using the same make and model of car – the Peugeot 308 Active HDi 92s, provided by leasing company ING Car Lease. O2, in partnership with vehicle tracking specialists Masternaut, made sure that teams were sticking to the pre-set route through tracking devices fitted to each vehicle.

In order to complete the experience, participating teams had to stop at four Edinburgh checkpoints. After they finished the route, the fuel consumption of each vehicle was measured and analysed by Millbrook Laboratories – one of Europe’s leading organisations for the testing, development and demonstration of vehicles – to determine which team was the most fuel-efficient.

First place was captured by Scott Roberts from Tayside Fire and Rescue and George Thompson from Lothian and Borders Fire Safety, who achieved a remarkable 78mpg in the Peugeot (against the manufacturers' official mpg figures are 67.3, meaning the team managed a 16.8 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency). Roberts stated: “The car was terrific to drive and the O2 Drive unit, which alerted us to poor driving methods, was very useful in helping us achieve a fuel efficient driving style,” he added.

(l to r) Karen Bird (Peugeot), George Thompson (Lothian and Borders Fire Safety), Scott Roberts (Tayside Fire and Rescue), Jennifer Edwards (Peugeot)

Seminars

John Curtis, head of low carbon vehicles and fuels at Transport Scotland, presented the Scottish Government’s low carbon policy, as well as its electric vehicle charging plans. He stated: “The Scottish Government has taken a technology neutral position. There is no one solution to lowering transport carbon emissions, instead all low carbon vehicle types – be they electrics, hybrids, biodiesel or hydrogen-fuelled – have a place on the journey to meeting our carbon reduction targets. The Scottish Government has funding and policies in place to help organisations make the change to a more sustainable fleet."

DOWNLOAD THE SEMINAR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION FILES HERE

Other seminar content included details of the Energy Saving Trusts' Interest Free Loans scheme. The loans, from £500 to £50,000, are being made available to support organisations in reducing the carbon and fuel costs of their transport and travel arrangements. Ian Murdoch, Transport Manager of EST Scotland, also discussed Fuel Efficient Driver Training programmes, which focus on teaching drivers the techniques that will enable them to drive more efficiently.

Murdoch stated: "With staggering results demonstrated by this years Fuel Efficient Driving Experience, people will undoubtedly be interested in taking fuel efficient driver training session. In Scotland, the Energy Saving Trust can offer individuals fuel efficient driver training at a heavily subsidised cost of £12 for 50 minutes of training.  Average results from this training are 15% of fuel saving. This can equate to two months’ worth of fuel. So for £12 you can potentially save hundreds of pounds. If you are in Scotland and would like to access this training, please phone your local Energy Saving Scotland advice centre on 0800 512 012 and ask about fuel efficient driver training.”

On the track

The highly anticipated Vauxhall Ampera proved very popular on the test track. The UK’s first 'range extended' electric vehicle, due out in 2012, has a Lithium-ion battery which delivers up to 30 miles on a full charge. Once the battery has depleted, a petrol engine kicks-in, driving an onboard generator to supply electricity to sustain the battery.

The all electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV, supplied by Phoenix Car Company, also proved popular on the test circuit, as well as the Nissan LEAF, supplied by Alex F Noble, and the fully electric fully electric C-ZERO from Citroen.  The Ford Transit Connect Electric, provided by Azure Dynamics, is a zero-emission version of the award-winning Transit Connect LVC, and has a range of up to 80 miles and a top speed of 75mph.

VIEW THE EXHIBITOR LIST HERE

In the third year that GreenFleet, in association with the Energy Saving Trust, has staged the event at Ingliston, feedback from both the visitors to the event and the organisations that took part has been extremely favourable. Duncan Inglis of Angus Council said: "The seminars were very informative, and there was a good selection of related products and suppliers available."

Colin MacKay of Tennant Green Machines said: "GreenFleet is by far and away the most cost effective exhibition I have attended in 12 years.  The thing that sets GreenFleet apart is the attendees as I get to speak directly to Fleet Managers, Operations Managers and in many cases the Director in charge of Fleet.  Without the event it could take months to get in front of these people."

Karen Bird, Fleet Marketing Executive at Peugeot, said: "We thought the event was excellent for talking to fleet managers about economical and efficient vehicles for their fleets. The Fuel Efficient Driving Experience was a great success, with the winning 78.8mpg on our Peugeot 308 proving to be very impressive."