Westminster Council's Transportation Department is trialling an electric scooter to see the potential for using this green form of transport as the council continues to work towards its aim of being carbon neutral by 2012.
The lithium battery-powered ZRO scooter, which can be topped up at all of the council's on-street and off-street charging points will be used for short journeys around the City by staff where walking is not practical.
The scooter will be used to carry out regular audits of all 15,000 street lights across the city, as well as visiting contractors' schemes to ensure Westminster's standards are being met and that work is being carried out on time.
Councillor Danny Chalkley, Westminster's cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "We always encourage our staff to walk or use public transport to get around the city, but where this isn't always practical, so this scooter will be really useful.
"The council is committed to improving the city environment, and part of that includes cutting the volume of CO2 coming from vehicles. I hope that this trial will lead to greater use of electric vehicles."
The ZRO has a top speed of 30mph and takes between three and six hours to charge. Once charged it will run for around 60 miles.
The council's electric vehicle fleet is expected to grow next year to include electric vans. The council already operates an electric truck for moving bulky goods and materials such as paving slabs and other materials essential for Westminster's highway maintenance and street lighting work.
Westminster already has more on-street charging points for electric cars than any other local authority in the UK, and is looking to expand the network. The council boasts a total of 60 recharging points, 48 in car parks, and 12 at parking bays in locations across the West End and Covent Garden.
Westminster was the first local authority in the UK to publish its Air Quality Strategy and Action Plan in 2001 and the council conceived and promoted the Low Emission Zone, which was taken up and implemented by the Mayor of London earlier this year. This requires the most polluting diesel-engined vehicles to meet specific emissions standards or pay a daily charge.
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