Motoring Into A Greener Future…

Reducing carbon emissions is hitting the headlines more and more, and it’s time everyone did their bit. Andy Groves had a fun day out driving that plan forward.

Ever since Harris Lamb formed its Environmental department last year, the business as a whole has taken more steps to think greener – from stepping up its recycling efforts to joining the team in nature surveys, we’re all being that bit more eco-aware.

An inevitable part of running a property consultancy that operates throughout the UK is extensive travel – and while we use trains whenever it’s feasible, there’s a lot of to-ing and fro-ing – myself and the M6 are particularly well acquainted – between different clients and sites.

In a bid to counteract our carbon footprint, many of us have been looking into the rise of the electric vehicle, so much so that myself and fellow director Richard Fantham recently spent a fascinating (and I’ll not lie, a lot of fun) day at a company car driving day at the Millbrook Proving Ground, testing out new cars to include environmentally friendly electric vehicles. 

The Company Car In Action event allowed us to meet major fleet brands, develop our knowledge of low-emissions vehicles and test and evaluate a number of different models.

While the luxury Jaguar I-Pace certainly ticked all the boxes in terms of guilt-free stylish driving, we couldn’t help harbouring a soft spot for the Renault Twizy– positioned at opposite ends of the scale with around £60,000 between them – both Richard and I managed to get into the bubble-style motor and hit 40mph, albeit I was hanging on for dear life.

With more and more awareness and demands on climate change, environmental responsibility and protecting the future of the planet, company cars are taking a very big, green step forward, and a lot of Team HL are reviewing their options with a view to investing in an electric vehicle.

Watch this space…