Cheshire East unveils new electric fleet

Cllrs Corcoran and Seddon with one of CECs electric fleet vehicles

Cheshire East Council is continuing its push towards its 2030 carbon neutral target with the unveiling of a new electric fleet of vehicles.

The council now has 22 electric vehicles, which includes six community enforcement vans currently, serving the public. The range of vehicles also includes tippers which are being used by the council's street cleaning teams, tree surgeons and waste and recycling collection teams.

The conversion to an electric fleet will save 130 tonnes of CO 2 a year and it is anticipated that when the next phase of vehicles is electrified – a phase of works which will include 40 of the council's grounds maintenance vehicles – that a further 225 tonnes of CO 2 will be saved.

Councillor Heather Seddon, vice-chair of Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee, said: "This is a very important step in the council's journey towards its net zero target.

"These vehicles will reduce the negative impacts on air quality and I'm sure will be welcomed by our residents, as they are significantly quieter when working around our towns, parks and residential areas."

Councillor Sam Corcoran, Cheshire East Council's environment and climate change member champion, said: "It is very satisfying to see that the rollout of our electric fleet has gone so well.

"This is great news for our wider work towards carbon neutrality, it's also a very positive step in terms of the health benefits it brings and is better value to the council than equivalent diesel vehicles."

The council's Carbon Neutral Action Plan (PDF, 2.5MB) – approved in May 2020 – set out the actions the council needed to consider taking. The focus of that action plan was to try to reduce the council's emissions by around 50 per cent and then to offset the remaining 50 per cent through energy generation, tree- planting and the purchase of green electricity. The council is now focusing less on offsetting and more on reducing its own emissions by electrifying its fleet vehicles and buildings.

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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Mark Eden
Tuesday 20th May 2025 at 3:39 pm
More money down the drain. Do these East Cheshire procurement people have any idea of the environmental disaster involved in extracting rare earth metals from Africa and the child labour involved in these Chinese owned mines to make the batteries for these vehicles?

Net zero is a total impossibility and without C02 there would be no plant life below 150parts per million. There is currently around 400 parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere.

C02 as I've said here before is only 0.04% of the earth's atmosphere and of that 97% is naturally occurring. Icelandic volcanic activity is responsible for 30% of all naturally occuring C02. It's all in scientific journals. There is no manmade climate change. Yes there is climate change and has been ever since earth evolved. We are at the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago and are in a warming period. In the Jurrasic period there was a mini ice age when C02 levels were over 1,000 parts per million. All the geological evidence can be found in various scientific papers.

As Joseph Goebels said, "if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth"

Anyway, the electric vans are heavier than petrol or diesel vans and will only make East Cheshire potholes worse! Forget net zero and fix our roads.........
Graham Nicholson
Tuesday 20th May 2025 at 5:13 pm
Hi Mark! You make a very bold statement: ‘there is no manmade climate change’. Unfortunately it is not true. I quote NASA: ‘There is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate. Human activity is the principal cause’. Sure, there have been cold periods and warm periods over the thousands of years, but there have not been the rapid changes in climate we now have over a few decades. I am afraid you are peddling a myth. Whatever Joe Goebels said, (an odd person to quote,btw) a myth does not become the truth, no matter how many times it is told.
Mark Eden
Saturday 24th May 2025 at 3:41 pm
Hee Hee. As per usual Graham you quote no facts in your argument.........and just what is the carbon footprint of your massive ( but lovely) house in the exclusive Alderley Edge. Do as I say but not what I do springs to mind. Quote me some hard statistics and then I'll listen......and why is it odd to quote Josehph Goebels? I simply stating what he said. Don't shoot the messenger. As ever all in a friendly natured debate. Have a nice weekend.
Andy Brown
Wednesday 28th May 2025 at 4:14 pm
Cheshire East council is teetering on bankruptcy but still finds hundreds of thousands of pounds for electric vehicles.
Mark Eden
Tuesday 10th June 2025 at 5:30 pm
......and the potholes get deeper....must be global warming!

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