Island Roads has taken delivery of 9 new electric vans that will be used across the Isle of Wight, especially for short, local journeys.
The continued switch by the company to electric vehicles wherever possible is part of its strategy to achieve a 40% carbon reduction within 7 years and ultimately, by 2050, become completely carbon neutral.
The purchase of the 9 latest electric vehicles – 6x Renault Kangoos vans and 3x Nissan E-NV200s vans – will be complemented by plans to introduce up to a further 10 electric vehicles next financial year.
Island Roads, which has been using electric vehicles since 2013, is initially looking to replace vans that are used within the business to make a high number of short local journeys such as vehicles used by highway inspectors.
The charging infrastructure at Island Roads’ HQ at St Christopher House, Dodnor, and also the winter maintenance depot at Stag Lane, has recently been upgraded ready for the new arrivals.
Steve Ashman, Island Roads service director said:
“These new vehicles are a further positive step towards our wider aims of reducing our carbon footprint but we are under no illusions, there is much more to do if we are to achieve these ambitious targets.
“Our approach is to, wherever possible, upgrade electric vehicles year on year as our existing fleet needs replacing. The vans we have just received will replace those brought in 2013 and are now at the end of their lives.
Article continues below this advertisement “In a multi-faceted business like ours there are many things to be considered so change cannot be achieved overnight. But we are determined to achieve our carbon reduction goals in the coming years and the ongoing introduction of electric vehicles as and when technology allows will continue to be a big part of that.”
Island Roads has also introduced environmentally-conscious measures elsewhere in the business which were recognised last year when it was awarded a gold award from Green Impact, a United Nations award-winning environmental programme backed locally by the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce.
Easiest thing in the world, to spend someone else’s money so you look like it is you ‘doing the right thing’
I have an EV Van for work. I have saved so much money. Not just fuel but also servicing. Always charged in the morning, no need for special trips to ‘fuel’ the van up. For the island, an EV is ideal. If you’re in the market for a new van, you should take a serious look at them.
With the amount of money the council the government and the energy company’s take from us we can’t aford new ev cars
Its only the people who take that can have them
You wait until the winter when the grid is overloaded and you can’t charge your van because of power cuts. And why do you need to do special trips to fuel your fossil fuel van up, don’t you pass a garage on your way to a job?
How is the Isle of Wight council allowing Island Roads to keep wasting money and then can’t weed or resurface road, why do a company that does roads 365days a year have to hire road signs and traffic lights at huge expense from hire companies that are making huge profits. If I needed a mini digger for 3days at £500 that’s fine,but if I needed for everyday use much better to purchase/lease. So much money wasted. And Why are roads less safe and reduced road signage etc ?
You have saved so much money have you? What did the van cost you?
‘Couldn’t agree more.
With the electricity companies planning power cuts for later in the year because the National Grid cannot cope, it does beg the question why are the government still insisting on the drive to force everyone to turn to electric vehicles?
Short local journey on the Isle of Wight?? I have never heard of a long one!
More green bs. Wasting OUR money as usual.
What utter rubbish, filthy to produce, even worse when scrapped, and whilst this enviromental window dressing takes place, the worlds biggest polluting country laughs at the virtue signallers and supplies the batteries produced by slave labour, cracking..
This garbage of being “carbon neutral” is pathetic, where does the electricity come from because making the equipment needed to generate electricity is not carbon neutral plus these electric vehicles are creating a disaster in the near future when it comes to disposing of used lithium batteries as there is no safe or commercially viable method of doing so for the foreseeable future the mining and production of lithium is destructive and uses massive amounts of power from diesel fuel to electricity used in the refining and manufacturing process.
I see by the number plate they are not supporting the Isle of Wight Renault dealership looks like all the money went to the mainland typical supposed to be island Roads not mainland roads
So how much less resurfacing and pothole filling must we forfeit in the name of green virtue signalling?
Pity Island roads doesn’t spend more money maintaining island roads rather than wasting money on expensive electric dinky cars.
fred nice to read your post.
No wonder the roads are still in shit state spending money on evs all for saving the planets but be nice to save the wear and tear on my car with the state of the roads
Good luck charging them, a quick look at zapmap this evening shows only 2 working CCS chargers on the whole island!
Must do better 2/10