Jerry Stewart, head of the Edinburgh-based Eagle Couriers (
www.eaglecouriers.co.uk) business, has said he is optimistic that more firms will go ‘greener’ in the coming years.
Talking to
The Scotsman newspaper, he said there are many facets to a ‘green’ economy, and more focus is needed on roads. “So what about ‘green’ transport? Where are we now, and how far do we have to go? Currently, there are ambitious plans to remove fossil-fuelled vehicles from Scotland’s roads by 2050.
This will take work and yet more investment, if it is to be achieved. Norway — similar to Scotland in its population and geography — is currently the world leader in electric and hybrid vehicles per capita. How have they done this?”
Mr Stewart said that the Norwegian government “has produced some attractive incentives to encourage conversion to electric vehicles: lower road tax, VAT elimination and a 50% reduction in company-car tax.
There has been promotion of electric vehicles for 30 years now, with the goal of removing the sale of new petrol cars by 2025. The Scottish Government isn’t oblivious to these patterns in ‘green’ transport, having set the goal to eliminate road emissions by 2050.
“A tax reduction and a 20% discount on electric vans could save companies up to £8,000. Transport Scotland is also funding loans of up to £35,000 to buy ‘green’ vehicles, but there is little support for firms that opt to lease. Rapid chargers, costing around £20,000, also need to become more affordable for businesses, reducing the 8hr charge times associated with a mains adaptor.”
“While there are now charging points dotted around the country, most of them only have two ports, whereas petrol stations can have 12 pumps and take just seconds to fill up. This is incredibly important to businesses that may need to access remote areas — something Scotland has in abundance.”