WEST Dunbartonshire Council has ordered 10 new electric vehicles as part of their drive to reduce their carbon footprint.

The vehicles (EV’s) have been procured for the local authority’s offices at Aurora House.

Details of the new electric vehicles are contained in WDC’s Vehicle Fleet Asset Action Plan 2016-21, which was discussed by members of the Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development Committee during a meeting in Clydebank Town Hall last Wednesday.

It’s understood that each car can operate up to a distance of 100 miles on a single charge.

The report states: “Ten all electric vehicles (EV’s), for use as pool cars, have been procured for the Aurora House offices.

“The charging points, which are being linked into electrical infrastructure for a new data centre being created at Aurora House, are scheduled for installation by April 2017.”

The EV pool cars will be assigned for use by the staff based at Aurora House with historical high business mileage claims.

The report goes on to say: “This ensures that utilisation of the vehicles is optimised and that the revenue savings generated from avoided business mileage reimbursement are maximised.”

The EV’s are understood to be part of the local authority’s new £1.4m fleet of 110 conventional fuel vehicles, which will be owned outright by the local authority.

The report concludes: “The continuation of this strategic approach to vehicle fleet asset management in the period 2016 – 2021 will provide a clear direction to ensure that vehicle fleet assets are properly justified, planned, procured and utilised to assist the council in delivering its corporate and operational goals and objectives.”

The report also goes on to highlight the council’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

And it states that, over the last six years, fuel use has reduced by 470,000 litres when measured against the 2008/09 baseline, fuel purchase costs reduced by £310,000 in the six-year period and vehicle emissions went down by approximately 1.3mkg when measured against the 2008/09 baseline.

The report says: “As a signatory to Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration, the Council has made a carbon reduction commitment to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.”