Business

Openreach in first electric addition to road fleet

Long-serving engineer Stephen Galloway receive keys to Openreach's first electric van. Picture: Kelvin Boyes/PressEye
Long-serving engineer Stephen Galloway receive keys to Openreach's first electric van. Picture: Kelvin Boyes/PressEye Long-serving engineer Stephen Galloway receive keys to Openreach's first electric van. Picture: Kelvin Boyes/PressEye

THE north's largest digital infrastructure provider Openreach has introduced its first electric vehicle to its fleet as part of a UK-wide commitment to reduce carbon emission and move all possible vehicles to being electric by 2030.

Stephen Galloway, a Newtownabbey-based planner with 46 years’ service at Openreach, is the first to receive keys to an electric vehicle in the Northern Ireland fleet.

And to ensure he can remain on the go, a portable charging point has been installed at his home, allowing him to take the first steps to help Openreach NI achieve its sustainable fleet goals.

With more than 70 electric vehicles operating across the UK already, Openreach wants to replace older vans with leaner alternatives and to actively phase out diesel vehicles by upgrading them to electric once they’re ready for retirement.

Mairead Meyer, director of Openreach in Northern Ireland, said: “The introduction of the first electric vehicle to the fleet here is an exciting step for us, but it’s only the beginning of plans to reduce our operational impact.

“We now have a dedicated project team who are focused on cutting our fleet emissions and identifying alternative, cleaner technologies, with the aim of replacing all possible diesel vehicles by 2030.

“We’re focused on upgrading the region’s digital infrastructure to connect as many homes and businesses as possible to our network, and electrifying our fleet is helping us lead the charge in achieving this goal in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.”

Stephen Galloway said: “The roll-out of electric vehicles is a welcome one and I’m proud to be the pioneer, doing my part to minimise our impact on the environment.”