Defence and support services company VT Group is helping the UK Ministry of Defence to bolster its green credentials by providing 55 Toyota Prius hybrid cars.
VT is supplying the vehicles through its White Fleet operational partner, Lex Vehicle Leasing, and the vehicles will be used throughout the UK, primarily by the Army’s HQ Land Forces organisation.
The addition of the latest Prius vehicles, in addition to 40 hybrid vehicles already on fleet, will help the Armed Forces to meet their targets in reducing CO2 emissions.
The Toyota Prius switches automatically between petrol engine and electric motor depending on the driving conditions. It can reduce carbon emissions by up to a third in comparison to an equivalent petrol driven vehicle.
VT White Fleet Director Nick Earl explained: “As part of our role as prime contractor for the UK MoD’s White Fleet we have worked closely with the MoD to help them meet their carbon reduction targets. We were able to assess their specific challenges and present them with data to enable them to make the right vehicle replacement choices to tackle the issue.”
The result is the MoD’s biggest commitment so far to using hybrid vehicles and it is hoped that other organisations within the MoD will also move towards adopting “green” vehicles.
VT is the prime contractor for the White Fleet contract, which comprises the provision and management of a fleet of some 15,000 vehicles ranging from cars to heavy trucks and specialist vehicles. The vehicles are used at UK military establishments and other MoD locations throughout the UK.
VT Group is a leading defence and support services company, providing engineering and other support services to governments and large organisations around the world. Primarily based in the UK and US, we employ over 12,000 people. Over the past five years we have doubled in size, and now have a turnover of £1.05 billion.
