Yorkshire Water partners with UK Power Network to support its fleet of almost 1,500 electric commercial vehicles

Yorkshire Water is planning to install up to 1,000 new electric vehicle (EV) charging points across its sites and staff homes in a bid to support the expansion of battery powered vehicles across its commercial fleet, the company has announced today.

The water supplier already boasts a 1,450-strong fleet of light commercial EVs, and is aiming to achieve net zero operational emissions across its business by 2030, as part of which it said it would need to expand the number of chargepoints available for its staff.

It is planning to install the first of the 1,000 new charging points at its training academy in Bradford, where staff deliver training for the 4,000 employees working across Yorkshire's catchment, followed by upgrades to existing charging infrastructure at a further 81 sites.

Yorkshire Water said it had enlisted distribution firm UK Power Network Services to install and maintain its new chargers.

The announcement forms part of a "decade of initiatives" Yorkshire Water - which supplies water to five million customers across the region, including 140,000 businesses - including steps to roll out renewables, lower overall energy use, and switch its entire fleet to run on electricity.

Yorkshire Water's CEO Nicola Shaw said transitioning the firm's vehicle fleet to zero or ultra-low emission drivetrains would be critical to achieving net zero operational emissions by 2030.

"Working with UK Power Networks Services to develop the supporting infrastructure for all our light commercial vehicles to be electric powered is an important step to making that a reality and will allow our teams to use electric vehicles to their full potential," she said.

The firm is the latest to ramp up its EV chargepoint rollout plans this month, after leading network operators including Gridserve, Rolec EV, and MFG announced plans to deploy new charge points across the UK.

Philip Heathcote, head of markets at UK Power Networks Services, added: "We often receive enquiries asking how a large vehicle fleet can electrify in a matter of years. This project proves that with strong collaborative partnerships, the right strategy and expertise - it can be done."