Westminster Council's Transportation Department is trialling an electric scooter to see the potential for using this green form of transport as the council continues to work towards its aim of being carbon neutral by 2012.

The lithium battery-powered ZRO scooter, which can be topped up at all of the council's on-street and off-street charging points will be used for short journeys around the City by staff where walking is not practical.

The scooter will be used to carry out regular audits of all 15,000 street lights across the city, as well as visiting contractors' schemes to ensure Westminster's standards are being met and that work is being carried out on time.

Councillor Danny Chalkley, Westminster's cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "We always encourage our staff to walk or use public transport to get around the city, but where this isn't always practical, so this scooter will be really useful.

"The council is committed to improving the city environment, and part of that includes cutting the volume of CO2 coming from vehicles. I hope that this trial will lead to greater use of electric vehicles."

The ZRO has a top speed of 30mph and takes between three and six hours to charge. Once charged it will run for around 60 miles.

The council's electric vehicle fleet is expected to grow next year to include electric vans. The council already operates an electric truck for moving bulky goods and materials such as paving slabs and other materials essential for Westminster's highway maintenance and street lighting work.

Westminster already has more on-street charging points for electric cars than any other local authority in the UK, and is looking to expand the network. The council boasts a total of 60 recharging points, 48 in car parks, and 12 at parking bays in locations across the West End and Covent Garden.

Westminster was the first local authority in the UK to publish its Air Quality Strategy and Action Plan in 2001 and the council conceived and promoted the Low Emission Zone, which was taken up and implemented by the Mayor of London earlier this year. This requires the most polluting diesel-engined vehicles to meet specific emissions standards or pay a daily charge.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The scooter will have with no tailpipe emissions.

Westminster's on-street charging points are located at:

Berkeley Square (2)

Wilton Street (2)

Sutherland Avenue (2)

Manchester Square (2)

Spencer Street (Behind City Hall) (2)

Wellington Street (1)

Southampton Street (1)

Westminster's other carbon cutting initiatives include:

*The council has a comprehensive strategy to improve air quality in the city, which includes monitoring traffic emissions, using alternative fuels and technologies for council vehicles such as electric, hybrid, Compressed Natural Gas and LPG as well as encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport rather than cars.

* Energy efficient street lights - the first of which were installed in Harrow Road and have saved the council up to 40 per cent in carbon emissions along this high-street which measures at 0.28 ton of CO2 consumption - the equivalent to having planted an extra 14 trees.

* The iconic lampposts in Shaftesbury Avenue are set to be brought into the 21st century after being fitted with first of its kind 'Smart Light' technology. Twenty five of the classic Grey Wornum lanterns are being adapted to allow their light levels to be altered to suit their surroundings, which means that the lights need only shine very brightly when required.

*As well as being more environmentally-friendly this move towards variable lighting will see the council slicing 20 per cent off its 1m a year lighting bill, as all the 15,000 lights in Westminster are set to be made more energy efficient.

* The Victoria Carbon Charter - Supported by Grosvenor Estates, Land Securities, BAA and Westminster City Council, this calls for companies to acknowledge climate change as the greatest environmental threat and to measure energy consumption in their buildings as well as work in partnership with local businesses to share examples of best practice and work towards the UK government targets for reducing carbon dioxide.

Scooter specification:

Max load capacity: 200kgs, max speed: 28-31mph, distance capacity: 65miles approx per charge, charging time: 3-6 hours, motor type: brushless, motor wattage: 1,500w, battery: 48V 38Ah, charger input voltage 110-240V, wheel base (front): 130/60-13 (rear) 130/70-12, gross weight: 89kg: front / rear brake: disk.

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