Published on : Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Gloucestershire-based green energy company, Ecotricity, and public transport authority, Tisséo-SMTC from Toulouse, have beaten off stiff competition from over 100 sustainable travel projects in the UK, France and Belgium to win the 2014 Eurostar Ashden Award for Sustainable Travel.
The joint winners were selected for their successful and innovative sustainable travel projects, and will share £30,000 in prize money to invest in expanding the reach of their schemes.
Ecotricity was chosen for its success in kick-starting the uptake of electric cars in the UK. Eco entrepreneur and founder of Ecotricity, Dale Vince, set out to eliminate one of the biggest barriers to uptake by creating a new ‘Electric Highway’ of extensive charging points across Britain. This network, placed across the UK motorway system, has dramatically extended the geographical reach of electric vehicles and in the last 12 months electric cars using it have clocked up more than half a million miles.
To meet the growing demand for fast charging points – Ecotricity expects the network to hit the million mark later this year – Ecotricity has committed to installing them at every motorway service station in Britain by the end of 2014, enabling drivers to fully charge their vehicles in 20-30 minutes, as well as doubling the numbers of chargers at each location. In addition, the enterprise is rolling out new technology to cater for all electrical charging standards, allowing a range of new models to use the network.
Public Transport authority, Tisséo-SMTC, impressed the judges with data showing phenomenal growth in the use of public transport in Toulouse – France’s fourth largest city. Tisser means ‘to weave’ in French, and this is at the heart of Tisséo’s plan, weaving together a comprehensive web of sustainable transport options to create a low-carbon travel network. Tisséo also works with businesses to help them engage employees in sustainable transport whether it’s car sharing schemes, cycling or new bus or tram routes.
Tags: Railway News, Winners announced in the 2014 Eurostar Ashden Award for Sustainable Travel
|
||
   
|
||
