Toyota (GB) has launched a new community electric van loan programme where a fleet of 42 all-electric vehicles will be loaned for a period of two years to various charities and educational institutions across the UK.
The initiative is part of Toyota’s commitment to sustainable mobility and supporting the communities local to its operations. The first delivery has been made to Surrey Wildlife Trust.
The vehicles available under this programme are the nine-seat Proace Verso Shuttle people carriers. To help the organisations make the transition to an EV, Toyota is also providing a £1,000 grant towards the purchase of a wall box charger.
Toyota is supplying vehicles to its long-standing charity partners to help them with the work they do and is also asking Toyota and Lexus centres to nominate local charities to benefit from the programme.
Toyota has also delivered Proace Verso Shuttles, to the Power Up charity, Nottingham, which promotes and enhances the physical and mental well-being of young people and adults including refugees, individuals with disabilities and marginalised groups, through sport and fitness.
Jawaid Khaliq, founder of Power Up comments: “By addressing the transportation barriers faced by these underserved groups, the vehicle will play a key role in ensuring that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, can access opportunities that improve their lives and contribute to the community.”
Another beneficiary was Wings South West – a charity that works with disadvantaged groups in Torridge/North Devon. Andrew Best, operations manager for Wings South West, says: “We’ll use the Toyota Verso to provide free transport for students attending our Wings College and Academy in Abbotsham, which can be challenging for those struggling with anxiety and mental health to access due to its remote location. We’ll also use it to take members of our disability group (Unity) and Ukrainian hub to activities provided off-site from our Bideford base.”
Scott Thompson, Toyota (GB) president and managing director says: “We want this programme to help people across the country overcome barriers to mobility and, at the same time, support community organisations in making the transition to electric vehicles. We know that it can be a big decision for a community organisation to switch to an EV van; hopefully this programme will give them a useful introduction to the benefits of all-electric motoring.”
