Somerset West and Taunton Council has announced that a new fleet of vans, including electric and next-generation diesel vehicles, has been delivered as part of its fleet decarbonisation ambitions.
The new vehicle will serves as replacement for some of the council’s existing models and have been provided by Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) as part of a seven-year contract, which was awarded in 2021.
Cllr Andrew Sully, the council’s executive member for environmental services, said: “We are focused on actions to meet our climate emergency declaration and the decarbonisation of our corporate fleet reflects this. Where possible we have selected an electric vehicle solution and for operations where this isn’t possible yet, we have opted for the latest generation of lower emission diesel technology.”
The new fleet comprises: three Vauxhall eCombos; one Skoda Karoq four by four; three Ford Rangers; six Ford Transit Tippers; two Kubota F391s with Trimax Flails (Vincent Tractors); four Vauxhall eCorsas and one Isuzu N75 Arborist Tipper.
Bob Sweetland, managing director, SFS: “We are pleased to be working with Somerset West and Taunton Council to help achieve its carbon reduction targets. This is the just the first step in creating a more sustainable fleet for the future and we look forward to continuing working together to enhance the new combined council’s vehicle provision.”
In October 2020, the local authority adopted a new climate emergency strategy and approved its own Carbon Neutrality and Climate Resilience Action Plan.
This plan will be delivered in partnership with the four other Somerset councils, and includes a strategy for the procurement of electric vehicles for council purposes.
