Scottish firm drives away with UK’s first Renault Zoe electric van

02/12/2020
Perfect Service Solutions Service Manager James McMurdo with the new Renault Zoe electric van

A SCOTTISH family firm is leading the way on low-emission vehicles after taking delivery of the UK’s first Renault Zoe electric van.

Staff at Stirling-based duct cleaning specialists Perfect Service Solutions will use the van to travel around Scotland and Northern England meeting clients and carrying out site visits.

The new Renault Zoe, launched in July, is the third electric vehicle in the company’s fleet and was chosen for its range of up to 245 miles.

The move is the latest environmentally friendly drive by Managing Director Simone Hart Sibbald and her team who have been switching their fleet to hybrid and electric for a number of years, with plans to have an entire fleet of electric vehicles by 2026.

Ms Hart Sibbald said: “The new Renault Zoe van is an important investment which forms part of our overall sustainability strategy.

“We are determined to lead the way for our industry in cutting carbon emissions and ensuring we are as environmentally friendly as possible.

“The UK Government plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 but we want to be ahead of the curve so it’s our intention that all our vehicles will be electric by 2026.

“We’re pleased to be the first company in the UK to drive the new Renault Zoe electric van which is the perfect fleet vehicle for our Field Service Teams.

“It’s amazing to own the first one in the country which was so new it wasn’t even registered on the DVLA’s database of vehicles when it first arrived in Scotland.”

The van, which can be charged from a high-voltage rapid charger in 70 minutes, will be used by Service Manager James McMurdo for managing field teams, meeting clients and for site visits.

Perfect Service Solutions Relationships & Service Director Rod Leach said: “Our first two electric vehicles had a maximum range of 130 miles which wasn’t really viable for us as our service teams operate throughout the UK.

“The new Renault Zoe van has an industry-leading range of up to 245 miles from a single charge which is much better.”

The firm has also improved its green credentials with a recent move from paper to a new app which automates the records and evidence clients require to comply with insurance and duct cleaning legislation.

Mr Leach added: “In addition to vastly reducing the time between a service visit and the client receiving the electronic documentation they need, the app is saving around 200 sheets of paper every day which the teams previously generated as part of the manual process.”

Perfect Service Solutions was founded in 2006 and employs 30 staff.

The firm provides specialist deep cleaning services and ventilation compliance solutions for the NHS, local government, Mechanical & Electrical contractors, FM providers and food outlets such as Skanska, Sodexo, Mitie & McDonald’s.

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