Electric van for award-winning local business Chequers

An initiative promoting sustainable travel in and around Croydon has been spearheaded by a local business with the unveiling of their first fully electric van.

Chequers Contract Services, who provide specialist cleaning, building and maintenance services, worked alongside the council initiative to lease an electric Nissan van with support to maximise its usage.

Croydon Council will help companies in the borough lease a 100% electric van for up to a year, for roughly the price of a diesel alternative, including vehicle maintenance, roadside recovery and replacement, as well as driver familiarisation.

These electric vehicles are exempt from the Congestion Charge, cost as little as 2p per mile to run and can each hold a 770kg load.

A single charge on the van’s battery can last 150 miles. Croydon Council has installed 40 public charging points in 24 locations across the borough with more expected later this year.

The discounted leases are available for six months or a year on four vans for businesses in Croydon and Sutton through a grant from the government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles. This £13m programme called Go Ultra Low City is administered by Transport for London and London Councils.

James Kelly, Executive Director of Chequers Contract Services, said: “Sustainability is at the core of our business practices and we were ecstatic to be recognised for these commitments through a massive reduction of our carbon footprint by 31% during 2018.

Go Ultra Low City has given us the incentive to further increase our electrical fleet and reduce our carbon footprint by another sizable percentage over the course of 2019.

“We urge all Croydon businesses to work alongside Croydon Council in which we believe is a fantastic initiative towards a more sustainable and greener borough.”

Contact Peter McDonald on 020 8726 6000 or email: peter.mcdonald@croydon.gov.uk to find out more about the scheme.

“Petrol and diesel vans contribute hugely to London’s air pollution and we are working hard to promote other means of transport.

“As well as being better for the environment, electric vehicles are quieter and cheaper to run, so please get in touch if you think your business could benefit.”

Councillor Stuart King, cabinet lead for environment and transport

2019-01-25T11:16:14+00:00 January 25th, 2019|Recent news|