April 4, 2011 11.11 am This story is over 155 months old

City Council tests electric car for staff

Electric dreams: City Council will use an electric car for two weeks to highlight climate change issues.

The City of Lincoln Council will use a loaned electric car to whisk staff to external meetings in an environmentally-friendly way.

The two-week trial is part of the government’s Smart Move study into the integration of electric vehicles into fleets, managed by Cenex.

The electric Smart Fortwo has a range of up to 85 miles and can be recharged from a domestic electricity socket.

If the City Council was able to use electric cars for council business, the authority says it could save around £50,000 a year based on current fuel prices.

Rob Smith from the City of Lincoln Council said: “This will give our staff an insight into the benefits of driving an electric car and as an organisation, it will give us an idea of whether or not an electric fleet would be beneficial for the council.”

Dr Chris Bingham, Professor of Energy Conversion at the University of Lincoln’s School of Engineering, said: “We’re working closely with the City of Lincoln Council on a number of projects and are keen to maintain that link.

“We’re particularly interested in this scheme as we can look at the impact of driver behaviour and driving style on the range and energy consumption of an electric vehicle.

“This information will help us at a town planning level, helping to improve traffic flow schemes to reduce energy consumption,” Bingham added.

Source: City of Lincoln Council | Photo: Kelly Moore for The Lincolnite