North East businesses will be given the opportunity to test drive the latest developments in electric vehicles (EVs) next month.

GreenFleet and Charge your Car have teamed up to organise a free event that will showcase how businesses could benefit from introducing low carbon cars and vans to their operations.

GreenFleet North East, the region’s first interactive event for EVs, will take place on Wednesday, March 7 at the Gateshead College Skills Academy for Sustainable Manufacturing and Innovation (SASMI).

Those taking part will not only have the chance to try out a number of vehicles on the newly developed Performance Track, they will also hear from a range of experts about the
benefits of introducing EVs to their business while funding
towards the purchase of EV charging posts is available.

Electric vehicles not only help reduce carbon emissions, they can represent huge cost savings for businesses and organisations who introduce them to their fleet or as company or pool cars.  Not only are they tax deductable, they are much cheaper to run compared to petrol or diesel models.

A £5,000 subsidy is currently available for businesses towards the purchase of electric cars, and the government recently announced that the scheme has been extended to include funding of 20 per cent on the purchase of electric vans, up to a maximum of £8,000. In addition, Charge your Car, the North East’s Plugged in Places scheme, is offering grant support of up to 100 per cent towards the installation of electric vehicle charging posts for businesses installing them on their premises.

Charge your Car project manager Josey Wardle, said: “Now is the time for the region’s businesses to introduce EVs into their daily transport function.  As a result of Charge your Car, the North East is now the most connected region in the UK which means drivers are never far from an electric vehicle charging point.  Allied to this, the region has also seen a good take-up of interest in electric vehicles, helped by the introduction of the Switch EV project which is enabling both businesses and individuals to trial a vehicle for a six month period.  As a region, we’re now in a position to lead the way in the introduction of EVs and show businesses here just how much they have to benefit from going electric.

“GreenFleet North East is the first event of its kind and we hope it will encourage many more businesses and organisations to get involved and ensure they’re at the forefront of this pioneering sector.”

The free GreenFleet North East event will comprise of a two hour test drive experience on the performance track, as well as presentations by a range of experts including Dr Colin Herron, managing director of Zero Carbon Futures, who will give an overview on the ways in which the North East is providing leadership in low carbon vehicles.  There will also be networking opportunities and industry representatives will be on hand to carry out demonstrations and answer any queries. 

GreenFleet North East will be split into two sessions beginning at 8.15am and 10.15am. For full details of the event format or to register attendance visit the website www.greenfleet.net/northeast, call tel: 020 8532 5704 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it