News 17 December 2024

‘Future of Roads’ Minister unveils Mitie’s 6,000th electric vehicle

  • Mitie has welcomed the 6,000th electric vehicle (EV) to its fleet, unveiled by the Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood MP in Westminster
  • The vehicle will join Mitie’s ESM Power business, playing a crucial role for engineers maintaining green power networks nationwide
  • The milestone marks another major step in Mitie’s journey to net zero as it continues to lead the way in sustainable transport

Mitie has welcomed the 6,000th electric vehicle (EV) to its fleet, marking a significant milestone in its ambitious journey toward net-zero, and further solidifying its position as a leader in sustainable transport.

The vehicle was unveiled by Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for the Future of Roads in Westminster. In her role, the Minister is at the forefront of accelerating the decarbonisation of transport in the UK, and was able to hear how, with one of the largest EV fleets in the UK, Mitie is leading the charge as a British business embracing the switch to greener travel, and its ambitious plans to decarbonise the rest of its fleet.

The 6,000th EV will join Mitie’s electrical engineering business, ESM Power, which was acquired in August 2024. Specialising in grid and power connections, ESM Power plays a pivotal role in decarbonising the UK’s energy infrastructure. This is the first EV to be deployed to ESM Power and will support engineers working on critical grid projects across the country, covering an average of 200 miles per day. ESM engineers travel nationwide, maintaining and installing networks for battery storage and solar connections, driving the transition to cleaner energy.

With almost three quarters (73%) of its fleet now electric, Mitie is making rapid progress in fully electrifying its fleet, having achieved its 4,000th, 5,000th, and now 6,000th EV this year alone. This journey started in 2018 and is a fundamental part of the company’s ‘Plan Zero’ initiative, a wider ambition aimed at reaching net zero carbon emissions in its operations by the end of 2025. Electrifying its diverse fleet of cars, vans, and even commercial gritters, remains central to reaching this goal.

Along with deploying EVs, Mitie is also supporting the build out of charging infrastructure across the UK, to give access to the clean, renewable energy it needs to power the EV revolution. To date, Mitie has installed over 6,000 charge points across its colleagues’ homes and customer sites.

Peter Dickinson, Chief Legal Officer, Mitie, said:

“Reaching our 6,000th EV is a momentous achievement, and having added over 2,000 EVs to our fleet since the start of 2024, we are making rapid progress on our journey to reaching a zero-emission fleet. It was an honour to be joined by the Future of Roads Minister to mark this milestone. Our transition continues to accelerate, and we already have our sights set on reaching 7,000.

Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for the Future of Roads, said:

“Businesses have a crucial role to play in driving the transition to electric cars and vans, which is why Mitie unveiling their 6,000th EV is a fantastic achievement for the company.

“We’ve extended our £120 million grant to help roll out more zero emission vans on our roads, as part of our £2.3 billion to support industry and consumers switch to EVs and make the transition a success.”

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