NEW electric vehicles that deliver meals to schools are expected to lower Hampshire's carbon footprint.

Two electric cars and two electric vans joining Hampshire County Council’s catering fleet are set to replace older diesel vehicles that have reached the end of their lease.

The cars will be used for administrative work, while the vans will deliver some 6,000 meals per week to schools that do not have their own kitchens.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Keith Mans, said: “We aim to replace County Council vehicles with electric vehicles whenever possible. Electric vehicles save 9p on fuel costs for every mile driven, and have no emissions, which is why they form part of our overall strategy to reduce the County Council’s impact on the planet.

“It’s especially fitting to see our catering service, HC3S, beginning to use electric vehicles. After many years of championing local food suppliers, HC3S has already shown great commitment to minimising the carbon emissions of school meals. The natural next step is to introduce electric vehicles.”

The colourful HC3S design on the vans – designed to make them instantly recognisable to their customers when they arrive at the school gate – is also a step forward in sustainability, as it is made from a new biodegradable wrap material.

He added: “For many years we have been supporting our staff to make fewer journeys, by providing the technology to work remotely and using more teleconferencing. Where journeys are unavoidable, our aim is to minimise the impact.

"This means using vehicles economically, and only replacing them when necessary – after all, producing new cars has a carbon footprint too. For this reason, the number of electric vehicles in the fleet is slowly growing, but in a gradual and sustainable way.”