West Lothian Council powers on electric Ampera

Range-extended Vauxhall Amperas offer drivers increased flexibility and lower emissions
West Lothian Council has become the first council in the UK to add an electric Vauxhall Ampera to its fleet. The announcement follows the signing of an innovative leasing agreement with Automotive Leasing, the specialist public sector division of fleet management company LeasePlan.
Cairngorms National Park and Highland Council, both in Scotland, have also ordered Amperas for delivery later this summer.
Automotive Leasing is providing the vehicle to West Lothian Council on a 5 year deal. The Ampera is Vauxhall’s new extended range electric vehicle, which features a petrol engine as a generator for the electric battery.
The car can travel up to 50 miles on battery alone then an additional 310 miles using the petrol generator.
The deal forms part of LeasePlan’s ongoing support for greener motoring, which saw it become the first UK leasing company to lease the fully electric Nissan Leaf in 2010. Automotive Leasing has also supplied a number of electric sweepers to councils around the UK.
West Lothian council was able to acquire the Ampera through funding from Transport Scotland, as part of a £4.3 million initiative to make sustainable transport more accessible for Scotland’s public services. The grant provides bridging funding to cover the difference in cost between purchasing conventionally-powered cars and low carbon or electric vehicles.
This deal was negotiated as part of an ongoing relationship between the Council and Automotive Leasing. The Ampera will be added to the Council’s existing 300 vehicles in the Green Transport fleet.
Steve Wallis, Vehicle Supply Relationship Executive, LeasePlan, said: “We are delighted to be working with West Lothian Council to provide this acclaimed green vehicle on an innovative and cost-effective financing deal.
“LeasePlan is always looking for new ways to enable organisations to reduce the carbon footprint associated with their fleet operations. We will be working closely with council drivers to hear their first-hand experiences of operating an electric fleet vehicle to allow us to continue to improve our service.”
Tom Conn, West Lothian Council’s Executive councillor for the environment, said:
“The Ampera will be a welcome addition to our electric fleet and will provide a reduction in operating costs as well as carbon savings.
“West Lothian Council is fully committed to reducing our carbon emissions and we’re delighted to have this new vehicle available for staff members to use. It’s part of our overall aim to encourage more sustainable forms of transport for work related travel.”
ENDS