Carmarthenshire unveils electric car fleet

Carmarthenshire County Council has today become the first local authority in Wales to unveil fully electric vehicles as part of its fleet.
The vehicles, manufactured by Mitsubishi, will be used by council staff as part of its co-ordinated pool car system.
They were unveiled in Carmarthen.
Named i-MiEV, they boast zero running emissions, can be plugged in to any UK three-pin 13A socket, and cost just 96p for a full charge.
They have a range of 90 miles and can be charged from flat to full in six hours, and to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes.
They have come at no cost to the authority, as they were funded as part of a Welsh Assembly Sustainable Travel Centres grant.
Carmarthen was one of only four areas in Wales to secure £500,000, which has paid for a series of improvements including walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure.
Launching the cars, the council’s director of Technical Services, Richard Workman, said: “These cars are an example of what the future will look like – today.
The council’s transport manager, Stephen Pilliner, added: “The authority takes sustainability very seriously and is using the project to promote alternative technology to the community.
“We will, over time, be introducing charging points at locations across the county which will be available for public use. The major attraction is that the vehicles produce zero emissions, require less maintenance and have zero road tax.
“They are part of our overall aim to encourage more sustainable forms of transport for work related travel.”
The i-MiEV was launched in Japan in 2009, and is the first pure-electric vehicle available to the world markets in regular series production from a major manufacturer.
It boasts top accolades, including Electric Vehicle of the Year 2009 and 2010 by GreenFleet awards, and a 4* NCAP safety award.
The launch of the electric vehicles in Carmarthen creates a link with the Government’s announcement that Wales has been awarded LCEA (Low Carbon Economic Area) status.
Cllr Philip Hughes, executive board member for transport services, said: “We are proud to be the first local authority in Wales to use electric cars as part of our fleet.
“It not only proves our commitment to the use of sustainable resources, but will cut down on our carbon emissions and also our fleet fuel costs - it’s a win-win situation all round.”

Pictured at the launch of the Carmarthenshire Electric Vehicles are, from left, Trevor Sage – Head of Transport and Engineering; Richard Workman – Director of Technical Services; Mark James – Chief Executive; Cllr Philip Hughes – Executive Board member for Transport; Cllr Meryl Gravell – Leader; Steve Pilliner – Transport Manager. Pic Jeff Connell