Tayside civil engineering contractor Kilmac is on the road to creating an all-electric fleet.
The Perthshire Chamber of Commerce member has taken delivery of cars for management and engineers, with fast charging points installed at their Gemini Crescent head office in Dundee and at employees’ homes.
Perth-based Managing Director Athole McDonald is also keen to see the company’s fleet of vans go electric soon as vehicles become available to the market, with a high percentage of the workforce based in the Big County.
“We operate in a sector of industry which recognises times are changing and we have to continue to reduce our CO2 footprint,” he explained.
“The change of the fleet to electric is an effective and readily available way of doing this. The vehicles are slightly more expensive for the business but far more efficient for the employees, reducing their tax bill by thousands.
“We have 15 company cars, ranging from Kia and Tesla to Mercedes and Audi.
“These vehicles are the most advanced right now, in a price range of £45,000 to £75,000.
“We see it is a stepping stone. Following a string of appointments, we have around 130 staff now and there’s almost one vehicle for every two employees.
“Ultimately we would like to see the wider fleet of more than 50 vans going electric.
“Hopefully that will start to happen in the next 12-18 months or so as battery technology develops to provide a wider range of affordable vehicles offering much greater mileage between charges.
“The plan is to phase the replacement of older vans with electric options.
“In the meantime, we have recently replaced 16 of the diesel fleet with more energy efficient Renault Kangoos and Trafics.
“Longer-term, it would be nice to think the excavators and site plant can also be fitted with batteries when they can provide the huge amount of power that is required, with site-based chargers.
“In terms of Scottish construction companies, we already have a good track record in moving towards a position of being carbon neutral and this move towards electric vehicles takes us a step further down the line.
“We have long been involved in wind farm projects at Finavon in Angus and Glen Ullinish in the Isle of Skye which sit well within the corporate portfolio.
“We have always been forward thinking in terms of renewables and have delivered hydro and biomass schemes during the company’s history.”
