With sustainability at the forefront, Dublin City Council is pleased to announce the launch of the Dublin City Council ecar Pooling Scheme at the Mansion House, Dublin, today, 18th September.

The Lord Mayor, Naoise Ó Muirí, will launch the scheme with Dublin City Manager, John Tierney in attendance.

This electric vehicle car pooling scheme, supported by Renault Ireland and ESB ecars, gives employees in the council’s head office at Wood Quay access to two Renault Fluence Z.E. electric cars and one Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E. 5-seater electric van.

The ecars will be charged on site by charge points supplied and installed by ESB ecars and manufactured by Irish company, M2C. The vehicles can also be powered by a public share point network which has coverage in 82% of Ireland's main towns and cities.

"The cost of powering an electric vehicle is approximately one tenth of the cost of an equivalent petrol car with carbon emissions being reduced by over 50%. By introducing this scheme, Dublin City Council is clearly making headway in reducing its carbon footprint," said the Lord Mayor.

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This ecar pooling scheme takes its place among the many successful sustainability projects developed by Dublin City Council over recent years. The Council’s principles, vision and actions for increasing the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the city are clearly evident today.

Fr. Collins Park, in Donaghmede, opened in 2009, and provided Ireland's first sustainable park. The park is electrically self-sufficient with power produced by it’s five wind turbines. This energy provides the electrical requirements for the parks lighting, aeration and water feature with the excess energy going to the national grid. 2010 saw the opening of Ireland’s first green fire station. The crew of Kilbarrack Fire Station have now actively reduced their energy and water consumption embracing sustainable practices in their workplace.

"Dublin City Council is delighted to be involved with ESB ecars and Renault Ireland in introducing these ecars to our fleet adding to the sustainability and smart city initiatives ongoing within the council," said the City Manager.

The scheme promotes Dublin City Council's seven focus areas on sustainability: energy, water, waste, biodiversity, transport, society and procurement. It has been successfully implemented in ESB head office and has resulted in ultra low running costs and a platform to promote the benefits of electric vehicles to any organisation.

(CD)