Part-funded by the Department for Transport’s Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Readiness Project, it’s hoped that the six Nissan LEAFs will save nearly 12 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year as well as cutting £26,000 from the Council’s fuel bill.

The fleet is leased from Vospers, and the cars will travel around 72,000 miles per year, cumulatively, mostly around the city, reducing mileage claims as well as fuel and maintenance costs. Charging points are already in place at four Council sites, supplemented by additional units in public car parks across the city.

Councillor Brian Vincent said: “Thanks to the OLEV funding we secured, we are effectively leasing these cars at a quarter of the normal cost. Not only have we been able to replace fleet vehicles that had reached their shelf-life much more cheaply but we can also find out what savings we can achieve using electric cars.

“If the trial goes well and the cost benefits are good we will hopefully introduce more electric vehicles into our fleet. We are also exploring the use of hybrid technology.”