South West Water is celebrating Net Zero Week with plans to more than triple its number of electrical vehicles in a step towards an all-electric car and van fleet by 2030.   

The company’s first batch of 16 electric vehicles started to hit the region’s roads from February this year and will be boosted by a further 37 vehicles later this year as it works towards its Net Zero goals.

South West Water has ambitious plans to bust its operational carbon emissions and hit Net Zero by 2030. Reaching this target is about reducing energy use, becoming more energy efficient and decarbonising its operations.

Switching from fuel to electric vehicles means that South West Water will dramatically reduce its carbon footprint as zero CO2 is produced from an electric vehicle’s tailpipe, compared to petrol or diesel.

 The company’s current fleet of 16 has already clocked up over 45,000 miles. By tripling its fleet this would bring the number to circa 150,000 miles being tracked in electric vehicles as opposed to fuel-powered counterparts.

With around 80% of South West Water’s electricity being used to pump or treat both drinking water and wastewater, last year the company took another huge step towards becoming Net Zero by switching to 100% renewable source electricity.

Angus Berry, South West Water’s Head of Energy, said: “We are proud to be doing our part in reducing our carbon footprint by pushing towards our goal of switching to a 100% electric car and van fleet by 2030. By decarbonising our fleet, we will be further championing renewables, building our own renewable energy and only purchasing 100% renewable electricity as a part of our ‘Promise to the Planet’ initiative.

“We are gearing up our actions to fight the challenges of climate change and do our part to help save the beautiful environment we work in within our region and beyond.”

To support the electric vehicle transition, South West Water has installed charging points across many of its offices and depots throughout the region, which are also supporting its colleagues who have, or are looking to, make the switch to electric for their own personal transport.