A BISHOPTON schoolgirl was positively thrilled to be given a tour of a new generation of electric vans as part of COP26.
Four-year-old Freya Baillie, who attends primary one at Dargavel Primary, was introduced to some of the eco-friendly vehicles by Openreach CEO Clive Selley during the Glasgow conference's Transport Day.
Clive told The Gazette: "At Openreach, we’re truly committed to reducing our operational impact and transitioning our 28,000 strong commercial fleet – the second largest in the UK – to zero emission by 2030.
"I'm pleased to be talking about the opportunities and challenges ahead in Glasgow, and how we can lead the charge while building and maintaining the UK’s biggest broadband network."
The national network infrastructure provider has created a dedicated project team focussed on cutting fleet emissions and helping to identify alternative, cleaner technologies. In April this year it introduced an ‘EV-first’ purchasing policy, resulting in 620 electric vans now in operation.
To encourage more large-scale investment in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, Openreach recently joined EV100, a global campaign for electric vehicles, to help promote further Government action on things like the provision of widespread public charging infrastructure and ore UK-based manufacturing of electric vans.
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