Cenex, the UK's Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies, is the Department for Transport's delivery partner for the Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme (LCVPP).
Announced in the May 2007 Energy White Paper, the programme aims to accelerate the introduction of lower carbon technologies onto the UK vehicle market, with the ultimate objective of reducing overall carbon emissions from the vehicle fleet.
Initial funding of £20million is available to help meet the additional costs for public sector organisations in procuring innovative, lower carbon vehicles, with the potential for a further £30million if early results are successful.
The programme will focus on the development of lower-carbon and all-electric vans in the first phase with other vehicle types being considered in subsequent phases.
The programme provides an opportunity for vehicle manufacturers and suppliers to demonstrate products in high-profile public sector fleets, while allowing public sector organisations to trial low-carbon vehicles in real-world conditions and reduce their carbon footprint without incurring a cost penalty. Initial public sector partners identified include the Environment Agency, HM Revenue & Customs, the Metropolitan Police, the Royal Mail, Transport for London and the Government Car & Despatch Agency, plus a number of pro-active local authorities that have significant fleets and a strong desire to reduce carbon emissions.