The trial, which forms part of the Energy Saving Trust’s Plugged-In Fleet Initiative (PIFI), will see the vehicles initially used by key decision-makers and then rolled out to chauffeurs to fully assess the operational benefits. In all, the trial will take six to eight months and will see the vehicles cover over 20,000 miles each.

Funded by the Department for Transport and Transport for London, PIFI aims to demonstrate where plug-in vehicles can work practically to fulfil and maximise business needs, show where the vehicles work economically and provide vital insights into the fleet plug in vehicle market.

Tristar forms part of 20 fleets participating in the initiative including Network Rail and the Environment Agency.

Throughout the course of the trial Tristar will monitor running costs, mileage data and overall driver and customer feedback before compiling a final PIFI report at the trial’s conclusion.

Although the company has only recently taken delivery of the vehicles, feedback has already been positive, with drivers praising the ride quality and overall performance of the vehicle.

Dean De Beer, Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services CEO, said: ‘It’s important that we can offer our discerning clients a wide range of vehicle options including an ultra-low emission solution and the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is a potential option for this. We are constantly updating our Volvo fleet and the safety features in the latest cars are definitely helping us to reduce our operational costs. We hope that we can achieve similar gains with this vehicle.’  

Selwyn Cooper, Volvo Car UK national corporate operations manager, added: ‘The V60 Plug-in Hybrid is the perfect vehicle for chauffeurs as it pairs luxury with a smooth and quiet driving experience. During the trial Tristar can look forward to reducing their overall running costs as well as placing their clients in the back of one of the safest cars on the road today.’