Agenda item

Considered – A report of the Assistant Director – Travel, Environment and Countryside on the progress of low and zero emission vehicles.

Some of the key points highlighted in the report are as summarised below:

·       The York and North Yorkshire Routemap to Carbon Negative has set out a number of priorities and actions for the period 2022 - 2027 which include: to decarbonise and increase the use of public transport, enable the shift to low carbon vehicles and enable cleaner logistics.

·       The Routemap has set out high-level targets for transport in York and North Yorkshire concerning the roll-out of battery electric buses, battery electric vehicles and sales of zero emissions heavy good vehicles.

·       Following the Electric Vehicle Charging Deployment Study, funded by the NYCC Beyond Carbon Pump Priming Board, it is hoped to launch a public consultation on the study in late 2022 ahead of the County Council adopting the strategy later this winter. A network planning exercise will take place across North Yorkshire, leading to mass rollout of EVCPs. However, it must be noted that the electric grid infrastructure in the large and small towns is likely to be the greatest constraint on a wide scale rollout.

·       On passenger and public transport, a successful bid to the Government Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas fund (ZEBRA) to improve commercial local bus services will see the entire Harrogate local bus operation converted to electric vehicles and depot upgrades.

·       A longer-term strategy to reduce the impact of home to school contracted transport on the environment is required, as there are supply chain issues with purchasing EV accessible minibuses, making it more difficult to phase out older vehicles.

·       A mix of different technology will be required across the NYCC transport fleet to accommodate the various needs and requirements of the services provided. An Energy Saving Trust review of the fleet is underway that is expected to report later this year.

·       Discussions are planned with district and borough colleagues and waste vehicle suppliers to identify the power requirements of various waste collection routes to inform the most suitable mix of new refuse collection vehicles, with vehicle range a key consideration. There is an electric car and an electric van on order for to allow for operational trials with services.

·       NYCC has been successful in a bid for £2m which focuses on delivering solutions using renewable energy that are aesthetically sympathetic in deeply rural areas where grid upgrades would otherwise be prohibitive and unattractive to the private sector for investment.

·       NYCC is also proposing an exploratory study into winter service decarbonisation and how to reduce the environmental and carbon impact of this service. That work is coupled with a trial this coming winter season, where NY Highways have added two gritters each with an electric body to its fleet. The vehicles have an anticipated fuel saving of up to 20 per cent compared to standard, diesel-powered gritters.

There followed a discussion with the key points as summarised below:

·       Ensuring that there is an equal distribution of the installation of EV charging points across the district and boroughs in the county and the indications given in the report are not fixed.

·       It was noted in response to a question on the funding of the ECV charging points that the successful bid to the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme will help with the financial gap, with further funding rounds to be undertaken next year.

·       A suggestion was made to enhance school bus routes to pick up those who want to pay. This was not a straightforward issue but would be considered.

·       Where EV charging points have been installed in village halls in rural communities, the anecdotal feedback is that they have been very well used.

·       It was felt that vehicles turning over when stationary is damaging the environment and greater public awareness is required.

·       New technology is to be launched for Home to School transport to enable attendance to be logged and recorded.

·       There was a need to be flexible in the vehicle type and fuel procured for zero and low carbon emission transport, as no one size fits all. Electric and Hydrogen are not fuel solutions on their own, a blend is required to best suit the journey required.

·       The majority of EV chargers installed will be rapid chargers, taking 30/60 minutes to a full charge.

In conclusion, the officers were thanked for attending, with an update report to return to the committee in 12 months.

Resolved –

For the committee:

i.               To note the report

ii.              To request an update in 12 months to include further information on emerging technology and financial commitments along with information on the locations of the electric vehicle charging points located across the county.