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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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North East set to gain from vehicle procurement rules
October 22, 2008 1:15 PM
North East Lib Dem MEP Fiona Hall has welcomed new European rules agreed this week which will require public procurement contracts to favour the purchase of clean and energy-efficient vehicles.
Speaking after a debate in the European Parliament, Fiona said, "This is great news for North East production of electric vans and trucks. Public procurement has a vital role to play in making sure that the vehicles on our roads are cleaner and more energy efficient.
"Newcastle City Council is already showing the way with its electric Quayside buses. But it's not just about setting an example. Contracts for fleet vehicles stimulate mass production and therefore bring down the unit cost of greener vehicles.
"For organisations which have urban vehicle fleets it can be relatively easy to switch to electric because the trucks and vans usually return to a base at night, where they can be plugged in and recharged. They don't have to wait for the development of recharging facilities at service stations.
"I hope that these new rules will serve as a stepping stone on the way to more comprehensive measures to reduce CO2 emissions from vans and trucks."
Notes to Editors
Fiona's complete speech can be found in full below or on Fiona's website http://www.fionahall.org.uk/articlesandspeeches/50/index.phtml
Fiona Hall (ALDE). - Mr President, this directive is very welcome because it puts legal flesh on previous proposals in the 2006 Directive and in the Commission's Action Plan on Energy Efficiency.
Public procurement has a vital role to play, not only through leading by example, but also because big contracts stimulate mass production and therefore bring down the cost of energy-efficient vehicles. Technically, too, the time is ripe for this directive. The range and speed of electric vehicles has been transformed by innovation in battery technology. Many vehicles procured by contracting authorities are fleet vehicles - which return at night to a base where they can easily be plugged in and recharged - so they are not dependent on the prior development of recharging facilities at service stations.
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