MP holds environmentally conscious mobile surgeries promoting the use of electric vehicles

Bill Wiggin has been promoting the use of electric vehicles by using a BMW i3 to conduct his mobile summer surgeries in North Herefordshire.

Having won the opportunity to trial the fully electric car at a ‘Road to Zero’ Parliamentary reception hosted by the BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association) earlier this summer, Bill commented: “I am delighted to support the BVRLA and Alphabet’s important work promoting the use of electric vehicles. The benefits for the environment are clear; they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and harmful tailpipe pollutants, and are also more cost effective to run than petrol and diesel vehicles.

In North Herefordshire we are serious about reducing emissions and it is vital that the car manufacturing sector develops efficient green technology to achieve this as a priority.

Following my Ten Minute Rule Bill on standardised electric vehicle charging portals in November, I am pleased that progress is being made to make electric vehicles more accessible across the UK. Last month, the Department for Transport announced that all newly installed charge points will provide ‘pay as you go’ chip and pin facilities by spring 2020 in order to encourage the uptake of the UK’s charge point network.

The vehicle leasing, rental and car club sector offers the fastest way to get electric cars on our roads, but the right incentives and infrastructure need to be in place.”

Alphabet, who supplied the BMW i3 for Bill’s summer surgeries, currently manages over 138,000 vehicles in the UK and advises businesses on integrating electric vehicles into their existing fleets through its ‘AlphaElectric’ service.

Gerry Keaney, Chief Executive of the BVRLA explained: “We are very grateful to Bill for supporting our campaign to increase the uptake of electric vehicles. Our members currently purchase around a third of all new electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles sold in the UK.

Last year we pledged to go even further, with an ambition to see our members combined plug-in vehicle fleet size surge from 50,000 in 2018 to 720,000 by 2025. Achieving this pledge is only possible if we can secure the necessary support from the Government through forward thinking vehicle taxation, investment in charging infrastructure and adequate supply of the right vehicles.”

Bill is among nearly 50 other MPs who have so far signed a letter to the Government campaigning for the necessary infrastructure and funding required to increase the use of electric vehicles in the UK.