Scotland approves Ashwoods hybrid van for low carbon 24 December 2010

Ashwoods Hybrid Transit van has won approval for Scottish government LCVPSS (Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Support Scheme).

The programme is providing £3.6m to public sector fleet operators in Scotland in a bid to help bridge the price gap between conventional and low carbon commercial vehicles.

Announced in June, LCVPSS was originally only open to all-electric vehicles, but has now been extended to cover hybrids.

Says Mark Roberts, managing director of Ashwoods Automotive: "This offers public sector fleet managers in Scotland a risk-free opportunity to purchase and assess hybrid vans that are already accepted in England as proven product."

Ashwoods Hybrid Drive recovers kinetic energy usually wasted through braking or deceleration, using a lithium-ion battery to store the energy and a high efficiency electric motor to deliver it back to the wheels.

Roberts claims fuel consumption reductions of 15—25% and comparable and CO2 emissions, depending on the drive cycle.

He also makes the point that his Hybrid Transit never needs plugging into a charging point and drivers don't have to worry about the battery running flat.

Users in England also report reduced brake wear and confirm that, since there no interference with the vehicle's structure, vehicle warranties and residual values remain intact.

When a fleet manager wants to sell the van, Ashwoods can decouple the system, refurbish it and fit it to another vehicle in his or her fleet.

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Ashwoods Electric Motors Ltd

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