Award winning leader in European EV circles, Fraser Crichton, Corporate Fleet Manager at Dundee City Council, Scotland, tells Fleet News Group podcast host Caroline Falls all about a transformation spurred by an enthusiasm to clean the city’s air.
Dundee is a bit of a star for EVs in Europe, notably for public transport and its innovative charging hubs.
Dundee, half way between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, is nestled in a volcanic seat. Air is trapped hanging over the bowl cradling a city 8 miles by 5 miles.
“It just like sits like a soup in the city,” said Crichton. “13 years ago, I went to an air quality meeting and discovered all these issues that we had with transportation. I just thought we’re going to have to change this, we’re going to have to do something about this. So that was the start of the journey,” said Crichton, adding: “We moved slowly but surely.”
Today more than quarter of the council’s 800-asset fleet is electric powered. And the whole city is networked with charging hubs and infrastructure, from pop-up street chargers, in all quarters and across disadvantaged and advantaged precincts.
The key to start the EV journey was the introduction of the Nissan LEAF. “I hadn’t seen any other vehicle that really could do the job of a diesel vehicle until the Nissan LEAF came along,” said Crichton.
He talks about starting with three-month trials in his fleet, then getting the taxi industry involved, and how one day about two years down the track he realised a more holistic approach was needed, one that catered for the private sector and public bodies like the police. A smarter city.
“I had that moment of going: we can only do so much to make the difference here. And at that point, I started looking at a strategy across the whole city. And that then developed to the wider region as well.”
He has some lessons to share: a key one being “You’ve got to have unbelievable service and maintenance programs to make sure all this charging infrastructure that you’re putting in the ground works.” Otherwise, it’s a pointless exercise, said Crichton.
Crichton and his council have been scooping up awards. Crichton was named among GreenFleet magazine’s 100 most influential in green transport. Dundee City Council was recently named top public transport authority at an Innovation and Excellence Awards. And it’s also been renowned for having one of the best five green charging hubs in Britain.
As a measure of success the air quality has improved.
