Fitted with a lithium-ion battery, the Goupil G2 vehicle has been purchased to assist Frome’s new Town Centre Ranger manage and maintain the upkeep of the town centre by keeping standards at a premium.
In order to facilitate this, Frome Town Council looked to procure a vehicle which not only helped enable their newly appointed Town Centre Ranger to seamlessly embark on their new role, but also made a positive contribution towards air quality and driving down the town’s carbon footprint.
With the Town declaring a climate and ecological emergency back in 2018, Frome Town Council has set an ambitious target of becoming completely carbon neutral by 2030 in order to play its part in joining the fight against climate change.
As a part of this sustainability commitment, the Council has been actively looking at ways to reduce its carbon footprint which have been broken down into three main pillars – energy, resources and transport.
As an all-electric option, the Goupil G2’s small and compact size makes it an ideal solution for town or city centre sites where roads are narrow, and access is difficult. With an operational range of 27 miles the G2 vehicle range also has a generous payload of 415kg which provides the necessary weight capacity to transport the tools required in the upkeep of Frome’s centre.
Alongside a Toyota Hilux, the Frome Town Council’s maintenance fleet also includes a Goupil G4 vehicle which was procured nearly three years ago from Bradshaw and helps in the upkeep of all the green spaces within the town’s wider area away from its centre.
With an operational range of up to 68 miles, a 1200kg payload and a maximum speed of 31mph the G4 also provides an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution for Frome Town Council while similarly being compliant for use on a public highway, enabling their Park Rangers to access maintenance projects further afield.
Having had a relationship with Bradshaw Electric Vehicles for over four years, Robert Holden, Environment Manager at Frome Town Council felt that purchasing a Goupil G2 was an ideal fit for their requirements, with the vehicle’s specification well-suited for the responsibilities of their newest Town Park Ranger – a position which mainly involves being responsible for the upkeep of street furniture throughout the town centre as well as tidying up public pavements and footpaths.
Robert commented: “We are delighted to have taken delivery of our new Goupil G2 utility vehicle, which has been procured from our long-standing partner Bradshaw Electric Vehicles. At Frome Town Council we take significant pride in the appearance of our town centre and the surrounding areas as we have long held the belief that it has a positive effect on both residents and visitors alike.
“In order to facilitate the upkeep of the town centre we ultimately wanted a utility vehicle that delivered on our 2030 Net Zero goals, without compromising on operational efficiency. When we approached Bradshaw with our requirements for a new utility vehicle which would complement our town centre maintenance project, they were immensely helpful in recommending a solution which ticked all our boxes. Having already operated a Goupil G4 for several years as well, we already had a feel for the quality of the Goupil range which made the decision-making process all the more straightforward.
“With many of our town centre maintenance tasks located down tight streets or in difficult-to-access areas, the Goupil’s compact size and low range make it a perfect fit for driving within the town centre itself, as well as enabling the Town Park Ranger to seamlessly park the vehicle in close proximity to his task of the day – something that we regularly found was problematic with the Toyota Hilux. Essentially in the context of its usage it’s ideal from both a functionality and environmental perspective.”
Ramsy Labassi, Marketing Manager at Bradshaw also said: “We are delighted that the Goupil G2 has been well received by Frome Town Council, an organisation that has strong values associated with driving down emissions and to ensuring the upkeep of the town centre.
“Given the nature of the local authority’s operation, we felt that the Goupil G2 was an ideal fit as its compact size, low speed and generous payload would enable Frome Town Council to conduct its maintenance projects with total ease – especially in areas which are difficult to access.”