Standard content for Members only
To continue reading this article, please login to your Utility Week account, Start 14 day trial or Become a member.
If your organisation already has a corporate membership and you haven’t activated it simply follow the register link below. Check here.
To mark Clean Air Day 2018 (21 June), United Utilities has announced an “ambitious plan” to switch its entire fleet of vehicles to go completely green in the next 10 years.
The water company will change from diesel to “home-produced energy” within a decade and aims to reduce its annual diesel consumption from four million litres to zero.
Traditional fuels mostly power its large fleet of vans, heavy goods vehicles, 4x4s and plant equipment and three years ago, the company started on its journey to cleaner fuel.
Since then it has purchased four electric vans, 11 site-based electric vehicles (EVs), two full electric cars and two hybrid cars.
United Utilities has also installed nine EV charging points across its sites and will expand this network further to support its goal.
Steve Fraser, chief operating officer at United Utilities, said: “Our teams need to travel the length and breadth of the North West to keep the taps flowing and the toilets flushing for our customers.
“Traditional diesel powered vehicles are not great for the environment, so our ambition is to migrate all of our fleet away from traditional fuels over the next 10 years. What is really exciting is our aim to power those vehicles with the energy we produce ourselves – a truly green solution.”
Head of fleet, Adam Dooley, added: “We’re working closely with a number of external suppliers to make sure that we are at the forefront of new developments in the industry.
“We’re really excited about our innovative electric wagon project which will be an industry first. We are also investing in our apprentice mechanics – this year they will be some of the first in the country to train on EVs.”
United Utilities has started working with the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership and the Northern Powerhouse to address the challenge of cutting carbon emissions and air pollution across the North West.
It has also partnered with charity Global Action Plan along with several large van operators who are working together to “remove barriers and accelerate adoption” across the UK.
Please login or Register to leave a comment.