SIX new electric vehicles have been delivered to Oxford City Council, as it takes steps towards reducing carbon emissions.

The vehicles will make up part of the fleet at the council-owned company, Oxford Direct Services, which collects bins and carries out maintenance and building work.

The new electric cars and vans are step forward in the council’s agenda to go green, and are linked to the world first Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO), which has an integrated plan for decarbonising power, heat and transport across the city.

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Tom Hayes, Oxford City Council cabinet member for Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “With this project we’re encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles and the move to zero carbon.

Energy Superhub Oxford gives Oxford strengths that no other city currently has: the world’s most powerful charging network and the world’s largest ever hybrid battery, and as a result we can accelerate our electric vehicle charging infrastructure for businesses and residents.”

Oxford Mail:

Picture: Ed Nix.

ESO is a collaboration between Oxford City Council and private firm Pivot Power which will trial the world’s largest hybrid battery system at 50 megawatts, with the aim of ramping up Oxford’s capacity to charge electric vehicles.

There are also plans to heat 300 homes across the city using ground-source heat pumps.

The £41m superhub project was announced in April 2019 and received £10m from the government’s Prospering from the Energy Revolution Challenge.

Oxford City Council received £1,615,169 for its role in the project.

On top of its six new vehicles, the council also has plans for a further 27 EVs including cars, a street sweeper, excavator, and mix of different sized vans, which are due to be delivered over the next four months.

It aims to electrify 25 per cent of its 330 fleet by 2023.

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The ESO project is also funding a ‘Try before you buy’ scheme for Oxford’s taxi drivers.

This is aimed at speeding up taxi firms’ switch to zero emission Hackney Carriage vehicles.

The scheme enables drivers to trial one of two models, either an all-electric Nissan Dynamo or a London Electric Vehicle Company taxi, for a two or four-week period.

From 2025 drivers will only be able to get a licence if they have a zero-emission capable cab.

Meanwhile, Pivot Power is installing the world’s most powerful charging network at Blackberry Lane, South Oxford.

This network will connect public charging facilities at Redbridge Park and Ride directly to the National Grid.

Oxford Mail:

Redbridge Park and Ride.

The network will also be able to provide power for local businesses including lorry and bus firms.

The Park & Ride EV public Superhub aims to include 20 charge points capable of charging a car in 15-50 minutes, as well as 30 fast charge points which can charge a car over a period of hours while Park & Ride users are at work or shopping in the city centre.

Tim Rose, ESO Programme Manager at Pivot Power said: “The smart power network we are installing in Oxford will deliver flexible, reliable power at scale to fast-track EV adoption.”

The superhub is also set to help reduce the emissions from Oxford’s buildings, which make up 81 per cent of emissions in the city.

In response to the recommendations of the Oxford Citizens Assembly on Climate Change made last summer, the city council committed to moving towards a zero carbon building system.

The ESO project is supporting the installation of low carbon heating systems which combine ground source heat pumps with smart controls.

The first 60 properties to use this will be in Blackbird Leys with work due to start as soon as possible.

Oxford City Council declared a climate emergency at the start of 2019.

Following this the council was the first UK city to hold a Citizens Assembly on the issue, which took place over two weeks.