South Lanarkshire Council has taken delivery of 141 Renault Zoe electric superminis, ensuring that more than a quarter (28%) of its small fleet will be fully electric.

The fleet of Renault Zoes will be used primarily to electrify the council’s pool car scheme

The purchase – which represents the biggest-ever Scottish order for Renault’s electric vehicles – will see 104 vehicles used to switch the council’s entire pool car fleet away from the former diesel vehicles.

The remaining 37 Renault Zoes will be deployed across a range of council services including Roads, Housing and Technical and South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, supported by their official 245-mile range.

While the deal will cut both emissions and running costs for the council, the hope is that the chance to trial EVs in the real world will also spur employees to switch their own personal vehicles to electric ones.

The council’s vehicles are being funded by a grant of more than £1m from Transport Scotland’s Switched on Fleets Programme and will be charged by existing council charging points, backed by the addition of more chargers in the near future.

Councillor John Anderson, chair of South Lanarkshire Council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, said: “We are delighted that these new electric vehicles will help us on our journey to reduce theays to help us contribute to that.

“The early feedback we have had from staff using the vehicles is very positive, with many praising how far they can travel on a single charge as well as how comfortable and responsive they are to drive.”