Wake up daily to our latest coverage of business done better, directly in your inbox.
Get your weekly dose of analysis on rising corporate activism.
The best of solutions journalism in the sustainability space, published monthly.
Select Newsletter
By signing up you agree to our privacy policy. You can opt out anytime.
In the first crossover partnership of its kind in the UK between a car manufacturer and an energy company, Volkswagen Group is to provide a 100% green electricity offer on its electric vehicles. The German car giant is partnering with renewable energy company Ecotricity and the offer will apply to purchases of both Volkswagen and Audi brands.
Volkswagen Group UK’s Head of Environmental Management, Andrew Bannister, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer those customers who are making a choice to purchase an electric-powered car the option to adopt a green energy package, meaning their motoring can be powered by 100% renewable energy."
The announcement comes shortly after the Volkswagen Group’s chairman, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, announced that the company had its sight set on market leadership in electric vehicles by 2018.
The first Volkswagen Group electric car to go on sale in the UK will be the Volkswagen e-up! city car, with orders being taken in November and the first deliveries in January 2014. The e-Golf will follow in mid-2014; while the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid is due to arrive at the end of 2014.
Ecotricity founder, Dale Vince OBE, commented: “Ideally an electric car should be charged using 100% renewable energy; otherwise you are still powering it from fossil fuels. Running a car on green electricity from the wind and the sun is the last piece of the jigsaw; it’s the ultimate in green motoring.”
TriplePundit has published articles from over 1000 contributors. If you'd like to be a guest author, please get in touch!
