Urban Foresight Bid Secures £1.9m for Dundee to Go Ultra Low

Dundee was one of 8 cities to receive a share of £40 million from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles which will help it develop a series of innovative charging hubs throughout the city over the next 12 months.

The bid, outlined a comprehensive programme of activities to accelerate a step-change in ULEV uptake and transform Dundee into a a globally recognised exemplar in the field. Named the ‘eMission’, the bid illustrated how the use of local measures, innovative financing, funding for innovation, community action and a communications programme could achieve this. The eMission also considered innovative ways to make the widespread provision of infrastructure commercially self-sustainaining and convenient to use as part of the ULEV experience.

“In preparing our Go Ultra Low proposal we developed an ambitious programme and remain committed to sourcing additional funding to progress as many of these exciting initiatives as possible. We will be making announcements in the coming weeks and months to further explain some of these plans” said David Beeton, Managing Director of Urban Foresight.

He added that: “Our bid was greatly strengthened by the commitment of our local partners and support from 71 partners from 22 countries around the world. We very much look forward to working with them all in the future to further establish Dundee as a leading city and contribute to the global advancement of ultra low emission vehicles and smart mobility services.”

Dundee is already being transformed by ultra low emission mobility and EVs are highly visible on the city’s roads, earning it an international reputation as a hotbed for EV adoption. The City Council has invested almost £1 million to establish the largest local authoirty fleet of EVs in the UK. The additional funding secured will allow Dundee not only to expand charging infrastructure in the Tayside area but also to realise new economic opportunities for enterprise and innovation. Targeting pollution hotspots and designed with commuters in mind, the proposed charging hubs will allows access to mutliple rapid chargers at a single location and will make the experience of charging a ULEV convenient and enjoyable.

Alongside Dundee, seven other cities of the twelve shortlisted in March 2015 were also offered funds, namely: Bristol, London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, North East England, Oxford and York.

Commenting on the scheme, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “These Go Ultra Low Cities have proposed exciting, innovative ideas that will encourage drivers to choose an electric car. I want to see thousands more greener vehicles on our roads and I am proud to back this ambition with £40 million to help the UK become international pioneers of emission cutting technology.”

Whilst Poppy Welch, Head of Go Ultra Low said: “With thousands more plug-in cars set to be sold, cutting running costs for motorists and helping the environment, this investment will help to put the UK at the forefront of the global ultra-low emissions race.”