Milton Keynes: Low Carbon Initiatives
Incentivising the use of electric cars through innovative partnerships
Author: Goeff Snelson, Corporate Director (Strategy & Partnerships), Milton Keynes Council |
Big Ideas Milton Keynes Low Carbon Initiatives
“Incentivising the use of electric cars through innovative partnerships”
Milton Keynes aims to be an exemplar community for low carbon living and has developed an overall strategy to this end, working with key local partners – in particular the Homes and Communities Agency. In order to promote the take up of electric vehicles Milton Keynes Council has partnered with the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
The Council has undertaken to provide a charging infrastructure and incentives such as free public parking and electricity for electric cars whilst Renault-Nissan has guaranteed a supply of electric vehicles (there is limited world-wide availability) together with technical support and marketing.
The Council is working with other UK cities through a government sponsored scheme to ensure co-ordination in the development of a national electric vehicle infrastructure and has been awarded funding by the government’s Plugged in Places scheme for the installation of charging posts.
At the same time the Council has partnered with Central Networks Division of EON to bid for Ofgem Low Carbon Networks Funding for a city-wide smart grid scheme that would provide an overall intelligent power supply and learning environment for the testing of new low carbon technologies and promoting public acceptance.