GreenFleet West, which took place on 5 June in Bristol, allowed fleet and transport managers from the west of England to assess whether electric and hybrid vehicles are right for their business
Fleet, transport and sustainability managers from Bristol and the surrounding area were able to get behind the wheels of the latest electric and hybrid vehicles at GreenFleet West, as well as discuss their viability during seminar sessions and round-table discussions.
Staged in association with the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), with input from Bristol City Council and Source West, the event was designed to demonstrate that electric and plug-in vehicles can not only cut your organisation’s carbon emissions but also running costs.
The event took the form of a seminar, hosted by TV presenter and motoring journalist, Quentin Willson, with keynote presentations from the Department for Transport’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), Bristol City Council, Source West, and Business West.
Delegates were then allocated a group and spent the day in 30-40 minute round-table sessions with leasing specialist Alphabet and route optimisation specialist Routemonkey, to discuss and debate the viability of electric vehicles for their business. The sessions lead by manufacturers BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Peugeot were concluded with test drives of electric cars and vans on the roads of Bristol.
Seminars
In the seminar lead by Bristol City Council (BCC), Marius Jennings, who also heads up Source West, stated that Bristol is proud to become European Green Capital, as well as announcing their inclusion in the bidding for three OLEV funding bids as part of the West of England Partnership.
Nina Skubala from Business West said: “Business West have produced a 2050 vision for the city: High in Hope, which is pushing for integrated transport and planning strategy across the four local authorities that make up the West of England.”
David Bushnell from Alphabet took the last speaker slot and explained how Alphabet use telematics, mileage and expenses data to review existing journeys and provide solutions to decreasing cost, as well as working strongly with partners to provide individual charging infrastructure solutions.
After the seminar sessions, Quentin Willson commented: “GreenFleet West revealed a deep knowledge and enthusiasm for ULEVs and EVs. All the delegates had previously driven electric cars and vans and it really was heartening to see them discussing which ones they thought were the best, fastest and most stylish. There was a degree of passionate awareness we hadn’t seen before.”
Test drives
After the seminar session concluded, delegates broke out for closed group sessions with the motor manufacturers and related companies, to discuss any electric vehicle concerns and share experiences.
They were given the opportunity to test drive the vehicles on offer, such as the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf, enabling them to experience for themselves how electric vehicles perform. The breakout sessions were hosted by BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Alphabet, and RouteMonkey, and additional expertise was on hand from Fleetdrive and Rolec.
Welcoming the public
Saturday 6 June saw GreenFleet’s consumer event, Evolution, come to Bristol’s Millennium Square to allow the public to test drive over 30 low emission, electric and hybrid vehicles.
As part of the European Green Capital official programme, the event showcased the latest in technology and innovation whilst striving to guide, advise and educate motorists on how to travel sustainably with low carbon, electric or hydrogen vehicles.
The BMW i8 attracted a flurry of crowds to its static display while the sporty electric TESLA Model S was occupied with test drives all day long. The UK’s best-selling pure EV – the Nissan Leaf – and the world’s first plug in hybrid SUV, the Mitsubishi Outlander were also hugely popular on the day.
Motoring commentator John Curtis said about the event: “Bristol is an example of how to tackle low emission travel. I met so many people who own electric and low emission vehicles. They spoke enthusiastically about them and wanted to see the next big things to hit our roads. Bristol and the west country just get it.”
Further information
www.events.greenfleet.net/gf-west