City of York Council is adding six electric cars to its fleet following the Energy Saving Trust’s Plugged-in Fleets Initiative (PIFI).

The initiative demonstrated how public and private sector organisations in the UK could significantly reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions by integrating pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles into their fleets.

The council has implemented many of the initiative’s final recommendations, including purchasing a Nissan Leaf, which was shown to have slightly lower running costs than existing vehicles. This trial has proved so successful that it is in the process of ordering a further five Nissan Leafs. The council intends to draw on its experiences to promote its fleet as an exemplar of electric vehicle implementation to other organisations, encouraging the transition towards cleaner fuels in York.

Derek McCreadie, low emission officer, City of York Council, said: “From the detailed analysis undertaken by EST, it was clear that we had lots to gain by switching to electric vehicles. EST’s comparison of our existing fleet with new electric vehicles demonstrated what was achievable in terms of lower operational costs and emissions. As a result, we are now eager to run electric vehicles in our fleet and can do so with confidence."

Following the success of PIFI, Energy Saving Trust received additional funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles to establish the PIugged-in Fleets Initiative 100 (PIFI 100). This new advice service offers 100 organisations in England the opportunity to receive free analysis and guidance on how plug-in vehicles might work for them.

Caroline Watson from the Energy Saving Trust said: “We are delighted to start seeing our original PIFI applicants successfully integrating plug-in vehicles into their fleets. City of York Council is a great example of where plug-in vehicles can make a real difference – and within a relatively short period of time.

"We have already received 25 applications across the country for PIFI 100 which demonstrates that the interest in the plug-in vehicle market is growing. Early adopters like City of York Council are already enjoying cost and carbon savings, and setting an example that we are confident more organisations will follow."

Current PIFI 100 participants include Carillion, Fruit 4 London, Hobart UK, Oxfordshire County Council, South East Coast Ambulance Service and the University of Leeds.