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Spring 2022 21 S MALL and medium-sized businesses in County Durham are being o ered the opportunity to borrow an electric van for up to three weeks, as part of Durham County council’s Climate Emergency response. ose opting to take part in the scheme will be loaned an electric van for one to three weeks for exclusive business use. ere is no charge, but those leasing the vehicles must provide their own insurance and su ciently charge the vehicle. e scheme is part of the council’s overall plan to help encourage businesses to radically reduce their carbon emissions. e project will be available until September 2023. ree di erent van types will be available, and those borrowing the vehicles will be able to charge them at public charge points around the county, or at their business or home using a standard electricity socket. e council will be measuring the carbon emissions saved by the scheme. At the end of a loan period, it will be seeking feedback on the experience and how the borrower plans once they have had a chance to see the di erence. In order to qualify, the business must t the following criteria: • be a small or medium sized enterprise with a base in County Durham • currently use a petrol or diesel van for business • have licensed and insured driver(s) employed by the business • be looking to make the switch away from fossil fuelled vehicles soon • have an energy audit from BEEP or be willing to have one • take responsibility for the van while in your possession and agree to the terms and conditions which will be sent to you when you sign up Durham County Council says the bene ts of joining the scheme are clear. “Electric vehicles are better for the environment and will help reduce your carbon emissions. A key part of this is helping you understand what driving an electric vehicle is like, and what it might take to make that step,” it states on its website. “ e move to electric vehicles is not all about CO2 emissions, but it is a big part. An electric vehicle will have zero emissions at the point of use, but some emissions linked to the electricity used to power the vehicle. If we charge using grid electricity, CO2 emissions will be at least 50% less than a fossil fuel powered vehicle. And, as the National Grid becomes lower carbon, due to more renewable energy in the mix, the bene t of an electric vehicle will become greater.” A diesel Vivaro van will emit about 230 grams of CO2 per mile, a Vivaro-E, charged with grid electricity, will emit about 112 grams of CO2 per mile. A Nissan E-NV200 could be as low as 63 grams of CO2 per mile, it advises, adding that lling up the tank of a fossil fuelled vehicle can be an expensive part of any work week. For comparison, it points out that while Vauxhall claims the diesel Vivaro-E can run at 53 miles per gallon, or about 11.8 miles per litre, this would cost about 11p per mile, just on fuel. e Vivaro-E is likely to drive about 2.6 to 2.7 miles for every kWh of electricity it uses. A kWh of electricity varies tends to cost about 15p to 25p depending on your supplier. e borrowed vehicles can be charged at a commercial charge point, that could supply for free, or up to 39p per kWh. e most expensive chargers would fuel the vehicle at about 13p per mile, but users should not have to use these very often, particularly if they can charge wherever the vehicle is stored overnight. ere are also other chargers that will ll the battery at cheaper rates. Charging can be with a standard three- point plug as well in a garage or outside a house or o ce priced on your usual domestic/business tari but may take longer to charge. << AIR QUALITY An electric vehicle has no emissions when you drive it. So, wherever you go, you won’t have an exhaust producing harmful particulates, Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and other emissions have serious impacts both on the environment and public health. NOISE Electric vehicles are very quiet. You may notice the reduction in noise compared to driving a diesel vehicle. is can make driving more comfortable, and over the long term, help reduce levels of stress when driving. HOW TO SIGN UP If youwould like to take up the o er of a loan electric van, please contact the council at https://bit.ly/3vfuTGz Council targets small businesses in effort to increase ‘green’ vehicle take-up. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY SCHEME