invest north east england

Monday 1st February

Business Minister Ian Lucas, made two welcome announcements in North East England after visiting the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area for Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles.

Elecscoot, based in Consett, County Durham, has been improving its electric scooters over the last two years and now have scooters with UK-made running gear delivering world beating performance and reliability.

Elecscoot has worked with other UK companies including Sevcon, another North East firm, to build electric scooters which match the reliability and performance of their petrol counterparts at a fraction of the running cost. The company are looking to expand their assembly facilities in the North East to create up to 10 jobs within the new Low Carbon Economic Area.

The minister with responsibility for the automotive sector will also met two forward-thinking companies from the region who are the first to express a commitment to the UK’s new Low Carbon Future Leaders scheme.

Newcastle-based Future Transport Systems (FTS) and Cramlington-based AVID Vehicles Ltd will benefit from the placement scheme aimed at getting 1,500 talented graduates into the twin industries of low carbon vehicles and marine energy.

Regional Development Agency One North East is working with Elecscoot to develop its plans as it continues with its long-term strategy to bring low carbon industries and jobs to the region. The Agency is already working with AVID Vehicles and FTS as part of the ongoing North East programme to develop new electric passenger vehicles.

Mr Lucas said: “I am excited to meet these companies, who are helping put the UK at the forefront of low carbon vehicle development and to see how the Low Carbon Economic Area is having an impact.

“Nissan’s electric battery plant plans and the new low carbon jobs that this will create for the region is good news for workers and families in Sunderland. I am looking forward to meeting the Nissan workers building the Note and Micra as both models have been popular under the Government’s scrappage scheme. I hope one day to come back to the Sunderland plant and see Nissan’s new electric vehicle, the Leaf, in production here also.”

Andy Haddon, Business Development Director of Elecscoot, said: “More and more people want convenient and affordable personal transport which does not harm the planet. Our scooters offer that without compromising on reliability and performance. This has only been possible due to close collaboration with other local companies and we think this could only happen up here.”

Ryan Maughan, Director of AVID Vehicles, said: “The North East is taking a leading role in low carbon transport, AVID are proud to be close to the centre of these developments.

“The internship scheme is a great example of enhancing employment opportunities for skilled graduates and also assisting business at this difficult time. Focusing the scheme on low carbon business will not only provide direct help now but also provide great benefits in the future.”

Matthew Lumsden, Managing Director of Future Transport Systems, said: “To the best of our knowledge Future Transport Systems is the UK’s first consultancy to focus specifically on integrating electric vehicles with electrical infrastructure.

“Having formally established the business six months ago we are growing rapidly and already have enquiries form overseas as well as the UK. The Low Carbon Future Leaders program will be an invaluable resource to help us accelerate growth in our consultancy and R&D.”

Chairman of One North East, Margaret Fay, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome the Minister to North East England to see the progress we are making in developing low carbon industries.

“The region has benefited from more than £1bn of planned investment in recent months in the automotive, and renewable sectors, and One North East is proud of the long-term strategy that has helped the region secure these new jobs.

“These two announcements give another major boost to green-collar manufacturing in the region, and we look forward to welcoming more young talent into North East industry.”

Ian Lucas also visited Smith Electric Vehicles in Washington, which produces the world’s largest range of commercial electric vehicles. Its customers include TNT, DHL, Royal Mail, Sainsbury’s Online and Balfour Beatty, and Smith is Ford of Europe’s official collaborator for battery electric versions of the Ford Transit and Transit Connect vans.