A COUNCIL scheme to improve the air quality in Southampton has taken shape as the number of electric cars in the city has risen over 50 per cent from the previous year.

The Department for Transport figures show that 773 battery-electric cars were registered in Southampton at the end of last year – up from 474 a year earlier.

Southampton City Council’s aim is to improve air quality in the city by encouraging the use of electric vehicles, as a council-led scheme has seen the city’s licenced taxi and private hire drivers trial electric vehicles.

A spokesperson for Southampton City Council told the Daily Echo: “As a council we recognise the importance of improving air quality in the city, not only for the health and wellbeing of our residents but also for the environment.  

“Through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme, we encouraged licenced taxi drivers as well as small business van drivers to trial electric vehicles to help reduce emissions with a discount of 50 per cent for a limited time until May 2023.  The programme enabled drivers to ‘try before they buy’ giving them the opportunity to experience the benefits of electric vehicles first-hand.   

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“We are pleased with the findings of the programme so far which have resulted in 46 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tc02e), saved during the scheme and this will increase as drivers continue to use their electric vehicles. “

They added: “Before the scheme started there were six licenced taxis electric vehicles, currently we are up to 21. We have also installed eight new rapid charging points across the city due to go live shortly to encourage more drivers to convert or remain in their electric vehicles, these will be open to all drivers.

“Findings from the drivers showed that trying the electric vehicles first hand debunked some of their misconceptions they had previously, we hope the word spreads amongst the drivers and uptake continues to increase. This was seen before with our previous London Energy Transformation Initiative scheme, which promoted hybrid vehicles, these now outnumber the traditional diesel and petrol vehicles, we hope to see that same growth with electric vehicles.

“More recently within our own fleet, working with Balfour Beatty Living Places, we added 10 Vauxhall Combo-e vans to replace diesel vehicles. These vans will be used by the workforce that manage the city’s roads. Electric Vehicles offer a range of benefits including reduced running costs, lower emissions and appreciative drivers who welcome the quiet, effortless driving.”