IN order to improve Bristol’s air quality, the City Council is looking to award a £100,000 grant to help support zero emission freight consolidation across the city.
Freight consolidation is where suppliers have goods delivered directly to a consolidation centre on the outskirts of the city and combine those goods into a single fuller load for the onward journey to the delivery point.
Councillor Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member for Transport, commented on the grant: “Increasing the use of zero emission freight is an important project for the city.
“As part of our One City Plan, we are aiming for 95% of deliveries within the city centre to be made by electric freight vehicles within the next decade, with consolidation centres at all our main access routes.
“Electric freight consolidation vehicles will reduce the number of heavy-goods vehicles entering the city and help us to improve air quality.
“This scheme will also raise the profile of electric vehicles across the West of England, while cutting costs for businesses.”
Since 2004, businesses in Bristol and Bath have been using freight consolidation to manage their deliveries more effectively, save staff time and optimise storage space.
In recent years, attention has turned to the potential of electric freight vehicles, which bring the added benefits of reducing carbon emissions and congestion in the city centre.
Now the council has been awarded a £100k grant from Go Ultra Low West, a £7m transport project that provides the infrastructure for large scale conversion to electric and ultra-low emission vehicles in the West of England.
This grant will be spent over a 12 month period and used to set up and run a zero emission freight consolidation centre, or support an existing initiative with the same goal.
A zero emission vehicle is one that produces no greenhouse gases or air pollutant tailpipe emissions, such as electric cars, electric lorries, electric vans, electric scooters, electrically assisted trailers, electrically assisted pedal cycles, and bicycles.
The grant application process opened on 5 February 2020, and the council are inviting suitable applicants to bid for this grant through their electronic portal Procontract.
You will need to log in and register your interest in the opportunity to download the grant prospectus and supporting information.
