The last polluting petrol and diesel council vehicles are set to be taken off the road if the city’s Cabinet approve funding to dump fossil-fuel vehicles and switch to electric.
A proposal to secure capital funding needed to overhaul the Council’s vehicle fleet and meet the Net Zero target by 2030, will reviewed by the Cabinet on Tuesday 16 September.
If approved, it will mark the end of Council vans and lorries polluting the city’s air with fumes from internal combustion engines.
In 2019, the Council’s own fleet, including subsidiary LSSL, emitted 2,314 tons of CO₂, representing 11.7% of the Council’s total 19,820 tons of CO₂ output.
The Council is also addressing the reduction of emissions across other areas, such as the launch of the new food waste collections and the decarbonisation of road as part of the ADEPT Live Labs project.
And transitioning to low or zero-emission vehicles is an essential step toward eliminating this significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
To achieve this transformation, the Council will:
- Commit to replacing every eligible vehicle between 2026 and 2030 with an electric vehicle (EV), subject to availability and market delivery capacity.
- Secure capital for on-site EV charging infrastructure to ensure reliable, fast charging across all Council depots and offices.
- Transition existing non-EV vehicles and those not scheduled for renewal within this window to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), reducing lifecycle CO₂ emissions by up to 98% based on DESNEZ conversion factors.
- Install dedicated alternative fuel storage and dispensing facilities.
This phased approach will allow the Council to quickly deploy zero-emission, as well as maximise CO₂ reductions by switching to alternative fuels for the remainder of the fleet. By combining electrification with alternative fuels use, Liverpool City Council will neutralise its fleet’s carbon footprint and strengthen its leadership in local climate action. The project is expected to cost £590,000.
Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “Achieving Net Zero by 2030 means tackling every significant source of emissions.
“This investment is a clear commitment to cleaner air for our communities, long-term savings for taxpayers, and a greener legacy for future generations.
“It dovetails with other major projects we are undertaking to cut our emissions, such as including council buildings in local heat networks, rolling out our new food waste collection service, and the decarbonisation of our cultural sector through the Accelerator City initiative. “The Council is leading on a clear direction of travel for our city – one that will see Liverpool cleaner, greener and healthier than ever before.”
