Lib Dem Newcastle leads the way on electric vehicles (Greg Stone)

Lib Dem Newcastle leads the way on electric vehicles

October 16, 2009 2:15 PM

electric car Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman for Newcastle East Greg Stone has hailed the city council's installation of on-street charging for electric vehicles - the first in the North East to do so. Newcastle will introduce 40 public charging points over coming weeks at locations including roadsides, public buildings, and supermarkets.

The city council already operates a fleet of electric vehicles including pool cars, tip trucks, people carriers, and minibus, and is beginning a programme of replacing its commercial vehicle fleet with electric vehicles over time. The council is also introducing "freight consolidation" to cut congestion in the city centre by creating an out of town freight depot for incoming goods deliveries linked to city centre shops by an electric van shuttle service.

Greg said "It is very gratifying to see that the Lib Dem run Newcastle city council is leading the way in terms of promoting electric vehicle use. With Nissan developing new electric vehicles in this region, it is essential that infrastructure is introduced to promote changeover from high-emission vehicles to low-emission electric vehicles to make the city's environment better for everyone."