Monday, 07 November 2011

The new drive against climate change

Middlesbrough Council showed they are fighting against carbon emissions and climate change when the unveiled two emissions free, electric-powered smart cars for its fleet from smart of Stockton. The Council is one of a handful of provincial fleet operators running the smart ed (electric drive) cars as part of a trial by Mercedes-Benz UK.

The council already has several years’ experience of running the fuel-efficient and distinctive petrol smart car. Mayor of Middlesbrough Ray Mallon currently uses a smart for his civic duties from smart of Stockton.

The smart ed admits no carbon dioxide, monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, particulate matter or any harmful substance – in fact it emits nothing at all! There are no fuel pumps as the smart ed is recharged directly from any UK mains three pin plug socket. The vehicles are been leased from smart on a four-year deal and running costs will be around £1 for every 50 miles. The smart ed has another major benefit there are no vehicle excess duty to pay.

One of the smart eds will be used by the councils Area Care service to monitor cleanliness around the town. Because of their compact size, the smart eds will be able to get around those places where larger vehicles can’t manage helping to maintain a cleaner environment all round. Head of streetscene services,
Tom Punton said: “The smart ed will enable us to improve our service to the Middlesbrough public. It is simple to drive, environmentally friendly and very efficient. It is also highly manoeuvrable allowing our staff to respond more quickly to incidents and make sure that the streets are kept clean and tidy at all times.” The second car will be a pool car for use on official business by council staff and councillors. The council aim is that more people should see for themselves the benefits of driving an emission-free vehicle.
Mayor Ray Mallon said: “we are delighted to be part of Mercedes-Benz national test programme for the smart ed. This will really boost Middlesbrough’s local and national image. Reducing our carbon emissions and doing everything we can to tackle climate change is a high priority for the council.

About the smart ed Performance statistics:
Top speed of 60mph; 0 to 30mph in 6.5 seconds and five hours to fully charge from 20% charge.
The smart ed has a range of about 70 miles between charges.
The smart ed can achieve the equivalent of 300 mpg, equivalent to around £1 per 50 miles.
It has all the safety features that a regular smart has: ESP, ABS brakes, two airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners.