Anglian Water is leading the water industry in its electric vehicle rollout, with more than 300 fully electric and hybrid vehicles hitting the region’s roads over the coming months, including 60 range-extended hybrid vans, 43 fully electric small vans, and 200 electric cars.
The additions include 60 new electric-driven VN5 vans from LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company): an award-winning electric van model with an onboard range extender. These vehicles join 10 LEVC VN5 vans which are already on the roads. Also joining the fleet are 43 fully electric small vans, which will complement the 33 Vivaro electric vans already driven by Anglian Water staff.
Richard Hudson, Commercial Director at LEVC, commented:
“Our VN5 model is perfect for businesses like Anglian Water, which are committed to driving down carbon emissions but also put in lots of miles in their day to day operations.
“Capable of emitting just 19g of CO2, compared to around 317g emitted by an average diesel engine, as well as 64 miles of range in pure EV mode, or 319 miles using the range extender, these vans offer a low carbon alternative without the range anxiety.”
Mick Farmer, Head of Fleet Services at Anglian Water, said:
“Travelling around our region is essential for our teams to be able to keep taps flowing and toilets flushing every day. But traditional petrol and diesel engines produce a significant part of our carbon emissions every year – so going electric offers an exciting opportunity to build a sustainable future, while continuing to do what we do best.”
The water company is also expanding its company car fleet, with 182 fully electric company cars already in service and a further 112 on order. 40 of these will be delivered and in service by the end of the year.
In May, the company also launched its new salary sacrifice scheme through Tusker, which allows employees to lease a brand-new electric car for a fixed monthly amount taken directly from their gross salary.
These electric vehicle deliveries will make a significant contribution to Anglian Water’s journey to net zero carbon emissions. Launched in 2021, the company’s net zero routemap will see 90 per cent of small vehicles replaced with electric equivalents, medium-sized vehicles moved to hydrogen or alternative fuels, and 55 per cent of HGVs using liquefied natural gas by 2030.
Anglian’s routemap forms part of the world-leading net zero commitment by the entire water sector, made in 2020. Each year until 2030, the company will reduce its carbon emissions, and by 2030 its operational emissions will have reduced by more than 70 per cent against a 2018/19 baseline – a reduction of more than 250,000 tonnes, or the equivalent of filling 55,000 hot air balloons.
In order to manage its new electric vehicles and anticipated higher demand as staff increasingly buy their own electric cars, the company will be installing more than 120 new charging points on its sites across the East of England and Hartlepool. At some sites, these will be powered by renewable energy generated by Anglian Water through sources such as combined heat and power, solar and wind: delivering a fully renewable process from end-to-end.
