‘Cool’ green transport rolls into town
Electric scooters more commonly seen on the streets of London and Paris will be appearing on the Quayside on Thursday, 18 October, in a bid to raise awareness about 'green' travel alternatives.
Newcastle University and Newcastle City Council have teamed up with Dott07* to bring these state-of-art electric scooters to the region.
They have already been launched in various capital cities including London, Milan and Paris, and Newcastle is the first location in the UK outside of the capital to host this next generation of ‘green’ vehicles.
The Vectrix machine (pictured) is the world’s first high powered two–wheeled vehicle designed specifically to compete with large petrol-powered scooters.
It is designed to appeal to urban commuters with a conscience with its low running costs, zero emissions and a 68-mile range on a single charge.
Andy Haddon, of the Science City Energy and Environment project at Newcastle University, said: ‘To meet the challenge of developing a more sustainable way of life requires innovative thinking and approaches to everyday activities.
“When we look at more sustainable approaches to transport we do not want to compromise on speed or efficiency. Electric vehicles can be a step in this direction and we are pleased to bring these demonstration vehicles to the North East.’
Mr Haddon added that the Government appears to be heading towards a more ‘electric’ future recently, with its announcement that the first commercial national network of charging points for electric vehicles will soon be rolled out across the UK, in a bid to help reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent.
In his 2007 Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer launched the King Review, to examine vehicle and fuel technologies which could help to reduce carbon emissions in road transport, particularly cars, over the next 25 years.
The report, which has just been released, says one of the challenges facing today’s motor industry is to deliver effective environmental solutions and also create a thriving market for lower emissions vehicles.
For more information contact Andy Haddon on 0191 222 3901 or andrew.haddon@newcastle.ac.uk
*Designs of the time 2007, a year of community projects, events and exhibitions that explore what life in a sustainable region could be like.
published on: 17th October 2007