Nottingham City Council is developing a fleet of 50 Electric buses over 2014 to serve existing Link services and the 2 park and ride bus services. Electric buses are zero CO2, NOx and PM, 50% worse to wheel CO2 than diesel counterparts.
Cost savings are estimated at more than 10.500 euros per bus per annum (dependent upon duty cycle fuel plus service cost savings). The project will establish a Tourist link bus service using 2 electric vehicles on a proposed circular route from Wollaton Hall to Green’s Mill via Nottingham Castle and Nottingham Contemporary.
The electricity to recharge the buses can be supplied by Enviroenergy, powered by burning the city’s waste, representing further carbon savings of around 40% compared to conventional diesel buses.
The project will also develop a small local consolidation center for last mile delivery by using small electric vehicles for transportation of goods at the city center reducing the number of large vehicles used for domestic and business deliveries. The solution is scalable, cost effective, makes more effective use of existing infrastructures and is of particular benefit to cities and towns.
The project incorporates the City Car Club Nottingham, an hourly car hire scheme funded through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) and the Work Place parking levy. The scheme is alternative to car ownership and traditional car hire and provides greener transport options for local residents by using hybrid or electrical vehicles.