Firms back region`s bid to go green

2009-07-01
Newsfeed

The private sector has put its backing behind the North East`s bid to become the centre for electric transport in the country.

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The private sector has put its backing behind the North East`s bid to become the centre for electric transport in the country.

Regional development agency One North East plans to install 750 charging points over the next two years to make it easy for electric drivers to travel all over the region.

To this end, firms such as Tesco, British Gas, CE Electric UK, the AA and Capital Shopping Centres have teamed up with the agency to put in place the necessary infrastructure.

Not only will the businesses provide vital promotional work to help the region move towards a low-carbon economy, they will also offer high-profile locations for charging points and technical advice about the fuel system.

One North East head of strategic economic change, Chris Pywell, said: "We are delighted to have such high-profile private-sector backing for what the region is trying to achieve.

"Electric vehicles are not a futuristic vision, they are on our roads now. It's a reality that we must take advantage of, not only to lower our carbon emission levels, but to exploit the economic potential it offers the region.

"We want the North East to be showing the rest of the world how best to develop a comprehensive infrastructure to support the use of electric vehicles."

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