Ipswich Borough Council has taken delivery of its fiftieth electric vehicle (EV), which means that more than half the council’s fleet of vehicles are now zero emission or low emission vehicles.
The council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and since then has replaced over half of its fleet with either zero emission vehicles or low emission vehicles where electric variants are not suitable.
Emissions from vehicle exhausts are a significant source of air pollutants including CO2, carbon monoxide, fine dust particles, nitrogen oxides (NoX) and unburnt hydrocarbons. It is estimated that there has been a 50% reduction in NoX emissions from the council’s fleet as a result of these vehicle replacements.
Cllr Phil Smart, Ipswich Borough Council portfolio holder for Environment and Climate Change, said: ‘We have been moving greenwards at this Council for a long time, not just when we declared a Climate Emergency in 2019. I’m pleased that we have managed to move fast with electric vehicles and other green improvements.
‘The council’s vehicle fleet represented a large proportion of our emissions and needed reviewing. The hard work we have been doing to both provide versatile vehicles that can do the job but also lower their impact on the environment is proving successful.
‘We are proud of our updated greener fleet, which alongside our other carbon reduction policies is reducing the impact we have on the local environment.’
