Over 500 Denbighshire staff trained to use EV fleet
Martin Griffiths, fleet mobility lead officer at Denbighshire County Council, said: "As part of our council climate change and nature recovery strategy, we are committed to reducing carbon emissions across the local authority, which includes our fleet.
"We have been transitioning our end-of-life fossil fuel-powered vehicles over to electric with significant support from Welsh and UK government departments to help us cut down on emissions produced and also reduce long-term costs for miles and maintenance across all services our fleet supplies to."
The council's efforts follow its declaration of a Climate and Nature Emergency in 2019 and have resulted in more than 20 per cent of its fleet now being made up of zero-emission vehicles—one of the highest proportions in Wales.
To ensure staff can operate the vehicles safely and efficiently, the in-house training covers the use of EV charging infrastructure, regenerative braking, and selecting the correct driving mode for different conditions.
Four qualification levels are offered, covering cars and small vans through to LGVs, buses, plant machinery, and instructor certification.
David Baker, senior driver training and assessment officer, said: "A key part of this is helping staff actually learn more about what an EV can do positively for travel and for the environment and coaching them to get the best out of this equipment.
"Our in-house trainer supports with getting to grips with how regenerative braking works to extend range and reduce conventional wear and tear on normal brakes.
"They look at how to smooth out driving to avoid harsh acceleration which impacts on battery performance."
The council says the scheme is not only reducing emissions, but also lowering running costs and helping staff become more confident with EV technology.
Mr Baker said: "Effectively the training helps maximise the ability of these cars driven by staff to increase vehicle efficiency and reduce long-term costs.
"It's also good to help individual staff as well to make their own decisions regarding moving to an EV for personal use."
The programme has attracted interest from other Welsh authorities.
Mr Griffiths said: "We are sharing our good practice and experiences with other Welsh councils and public sector bodies to help them with their own transition to zero emission."
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