In a bid to cut carbon emissions, Whitehorse City Council in Victoria recently added four electric vehicles (EVs) to its fleet.
The cars have been introduced in collaboration with energy provider AGL Energy Limited (AGL).
Whitehorse Mayor Philip Daw said the decision followed a concerted push by Council to investigate more sustainable fleet options. The cars replace four existing vehicles in the current fleet.
“Four fully electric Nissan LEAF vehicles joined our fleet in March as replacement vehicles. We hope they will be the first of many environmentally sustainable vehicles. They are made from recyclable materials and have a range of 100 kilometres. The batteries of the electric vehicles are also fully recyclable,” said Mayor Daw.
The cars are leased through AGL, Whitehorse City Council’s energy supplier. AGL installed charging point units at Council’s Box Hill South Operations Centre and Nunawading Civic Centre, which will be used by staff.
Mayor Daw officially unveiled the cars last month at a ceremony attended by AGL General Manager Commercial Development, Angela Catt.
The project is part of Council’s overall Sustainability Strategy, which involves a range of initiatives such as Sustainable Living Week, held in April.
Green power will be used to offset emissions generated from electricity consumption by the electric vehicles in order to be carbon neutral and eligible for National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS) accreditation.
AGL’s Angela Catt said the company was proud to be partnering with Whitehorse Council on its EV initiative.
“AGL is committed to the decarbonisation of Australia’s economy, and EVs and other emerging technologies can have a major impact. Leading communities like Whitehorse Council are pioneers and AGL’s goal is to make the transition to an EV fleet as easy as possible.”
Mayor Daw said Council hoped to add more environmentally sustainable vehicles, which have been becoming increasingly popular with councils, to its fleet.
“At Whitehorse we are always looking for ways to make our operations more environmentally sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint. Being 100 percent electric, these cars produce no tail pipe emissions. We hope this exciting initiative is the first of many.”
