Public Sector EV Users
Vectrix in Scotland
Lothian & Borders Police
(now part of Police Scotland)
(now part of Police Scotland)
The Lothian and Borders Police Force (Police Scotland,) purchased a Vectrix electric maxi-scooter as part of their drive to reduce transport emissions and traffic congestion in Scotland’s Capital.
They purchased a Vectrix electric maxi-scooter as the first electric vehicle to be procured by the force. Two or three officers were trained to use the Vectrix which directly replace a petrol patrol car covering 20 – 30 miles daily and will be used for patrolling the Scottish Parliamentary areas and for transporting officers up to Police Headquarters in Central Edinburgh. There is a large proportion of pedestrians in and around the Parliament Buildings and the Vectrix will provide a safe and more humanly interactive method of patrolling without noise or air pollution. The Vectrix provides the performance, range and presence required by the Police to ensure the highest level of public service is delivered. Taken from the October 2008 press release. |
Strathclyde Police
(now part of Police Scotland)
(now part of Police Scotland)
BAA Glasgow Gets Green Patrol
Boys in Blue Go Green In a move to reduce its carbon footprint, Strathclyde Police went green by introducing the first ever electric scooter to be used for active duty by a Police Force within the United Kingdom.
The Vectrix electric maxi-scooter not only benefits the environment, it will brings many benefits to officers policing at Glasgow Airport. Strathclyde Police continually seeks ways to reduce carbon emissions and as the Vectrix is emission free, this innovative technology provides an effective solution. |
Performance is in no way compromised and a top speed of 62 mph and fast acceleration make for safe and easy maneuvering through traffic.
The maxi-scooters will be used mainly for patrol and parking duties at the airport and officers have welcomed this latest vehicle on board. |
Inspector Colin Pearson, Glasgow Airport Road Policing, said: “Following a two week trial to test for performance and usability, we quickly established that the Vectrix was capable of meeting our requirements and we have since gone ahead with the purchase of the bike. The bike will enhance our ability to enforce parking legislation and also to assist the regulation of traffic within the busy airport road system.”
Taken from February 2008 press release Then in May 2008 Strathclyde Police announced that following the successful introduction of the Vectrix scooter, they have now ordered an additional bike to join the policing force around the airport.
The Vectrix has proved itself to be a reliable method of transport for patrols, and the addition of another bike will enable them to further reduce their carbon footprint without compromising on the highest standard of service to the public. Alan Tait, Assistant Fleet Manager, said. “The Vectrix has lived up to our expectations, it proves that it's possible operate a low carbon policy in a non response role and still maintain performance and reliability.” |
Glasgow City Council EV Trial
Glasgow is a compact city. Nowhere in the city is much further than 10 miles from any where else. It is perfect for electric vehicles which typically have a relatively short range.
Pictured are two of the forty electric vehicles that were being trialled by the City Council. The trial EVs were a mix of Nissan Leafs and Peugeot Partner Electric Vehicles. The trial was scheduled to run for three years but as sometimes happens it all ended in tears. Council settles electric vehicle case out of court
GLASGOW City Council has settled its electric vehicle dispute with manufacturer Allied Vehicles out of court for what is believed to be a substantial sum of money, the Sunday Herald can reveal.
The company has agreed to call off its lawsuit in a deal that will not require the council to concede liability and will ensure that neither party reveals any of the details. As we reported last month, the case came out of Scotland's only major electric vehicle trial, which received £1.8 million in funding from the UK's Technology Strategy Board. This paid for a £650,000, three-year contract for Allied, which converts vehicles to electric power, to supply 40 of them to the council to be trialled by members of staff. Also included in the funding were 40 charging points and a Strathclyde University study into the vehicles' carbon emissions. It was part of a £25m programme that funded various similar projects in England. The dispute concerned nine Peugeot Expert people carriers, which the council returned to Allied just before the first year of the contract had elapsed. It claimed that the vehicles were not fit for purpose within the terms of the contract. |
Allied has maintained that it was not responsible for this situation. As a result, it sued the council for compensation for the £140,000 in rental fees that would have been paid for the nine vehicles over the remaining two years of the contract.
The council's legal team successfully persuaded Lord Glennie in the Court of Session in Edinburgh at a preliminary hearing shortly before the turn of the year that certain interpretations by Allied of the contract were incorrect. But if this seemed to boost the prospects of the council successfully defending the case, it subsequently reached the conclusion that reaching a deal was preferable to fighting Allied through the courts. Neither side would disclose how much has been paid by the council in settlement. Allied declined to comment. A spokesman for the council said: "Allied Vehicles Limited and Glasgow City Council have settled the action raised in the Court of Session extrajudicially and without admission of liability on the part of the council." Steven Vass, Deputy Business Editor, Sunday Herald. Sunday 9 February 2014.
Source: Sunday Herald. |