British multinational electricity firm National Grid successfully achieved the 1,000+ electric vehicle milestone on its domestic fleet, Fleet News reported.
Electrification target
The report indicated that National Grid now has more than 1,070 battery-electric cars and 312 clean-energy commercial vehicles throughout its UK and US operations.
The company would not stop there, as it aims to have EVs account for 60% of its overall fleet by the end of the 2025-2026 financial year.
National Grid has been actively working to promote electric vehicle adoption for some years already. It has deployed charging stalls within its facilities to aid EV owners. It has also developed and offered an all-electric shuttle bus for its workers in Warwick Technology Park, as noted by Fleetworld.
The electric shuttle bus is a free service that routinely drives for approximately 50,000km/year along the Leamington Spa town center, the train station, and Warwick Technology Park. This project enables the company to avoid almost 30 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
“At National Grid, we’re committed to being a responsible business in everything we do, enabling a fair and affordable transition to a clean energy future and reducing our own emissions. Our commitment to net zero starts with our own operations and decarbonising our electric fleet is crucial ensuring we can make significant strides in reducing our own carbon emissions.”
Rhian Kelly, National Grid’s Chief Sustainability Officer
How does it benefit the UK?
The significant initiatives of the National Grid in advancing the country’s shift to clean energy vehicles aid the efforts of the government to hit carbon neutrality.
“The UK’s transition to electric vehicles is a key component in the race to net zero and National Grid’s efforts to transform the country’s energy system mean we play a key role in facilitating this.”
Lorna McAtear, National Grid UK’s Fleet Manager
That said, the company aims to boost its electrification efforts to accelerate the country’s electric vehicle adoption by starting on its own fleet.
“It’s for this reason that we are determined to lead by example in electrifying our own fleet and to act as trailblazers and champions for the wider uptake of EVs amongst the communities we serve, so that we can build a more sustainable future together.”
Lorna McAtear, National Grid UK’s Fleet Manager
See Also:
- Why the EV surge could significantly strain the electric grid in the US
- Invinity Energy Systems secures funds to develop UK’s largest grid-scale battery
- Power grid optimization: Mitigating electric vehicle impact on the network
- Solar & Storage generates power to sustain the grid’s stability
- Debate: EV would strain the power grid or aid the deteriorating infrastructure
Such electrification initiatives are crucial to boosting the electric vehicle uptake in the UK. Seeing established companies like the National Grid leading the shift to clean energy will undoubtedly encourage more businesses to electrify their fleet.
