Newcastle University Enhances Fleet with Two Goupil G4s

Newcastle University has bolstered its fleet of utility vehicles through procuring two Goupil G4s from the UK’s leading electric utility vehicle supplier and manufacturer, Bradshaw EV.

The vehicles have been acquired by Newcastle University’s ground maintenance teams, where they will utilise the Goupils to help manage and maintain the campus’ green spaces throughout the calendar year. In order to facilitate this, both vehicles have been customised with a cage tipper attachment.

Available as pick-ups, vans and waste collectors, the Goupil G4 is designed to provide total versatility. With an operational range of up to 101 miles, a 1200kg payload and a maximum speed of 31mph the G4 is purposefully designed with a variety of body types and features a safe and secure cabin with both left and right hand drive options.

The Goupil G4 range also provide an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution for organisations looking to reduce their carbon footprint while similarly being able to be adapted to the specific requirements of the customer.

With Newcastle University setting its sights on reaching Net Zero by 2030, the decision to purchase the all-electric Goupil G4s has come at a time where the institution is accelerating its sustainability pledges. Having previously used a Ford transit to embark on its ground maintenance work, which did not comply with the city’s recently introduced Low Emission Zone, the need to find a compliant solution to avoid costly charges was also a key in the decision-making process for the University.

Tom Vasey, Grounds Manager at Newcastle University commented: “We were delighted to take delivery of our two Goupil G4s featuring Bradshaw’s cage tipper attachments. The vehicles have been procured to help us provide a more seamless solution to our ground maintenance work, as with much of the campus now pedestrianised and located within Newcastle’s newly introduced Low Emission Zone the transit van that we originally used simply was no longer suitable.

“Following the introduction of 20mph zones throughout the city and the low-speed nature of the operation on campus, the continuous low RPMs would lead to a number of issues with the transits. Therefore, given the nature of the operation a battery powered vehicle was considered a more appropriate option in terms of ensuring vehicle uptime."

“As the University has ambitious aims of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, we also wanted to find a solution that helped contribute towards this all-important goal through procuring a vehicle which was emission free.

Tom continued: “While we trialled a number of different vehicle options, once we came across Bradshaw’s Goupil range we felt that it ticked several boxes and more. Its compact size and low speed meant that our groundskeepers could seamlessly navigate through the pedestrianised areas of the campus without endangering pedestrians and its aesthetic was unanimously preferred by our team members.

“Bradshaw’s ability to customise their vehicles in line with the customers’ requirements was also a big draw to the Goupils. When we initially spoke to suppliers in the procurement process, all with the exception of Bradshaw were unable to provide a solution that aligned to our bespoke needs which was problematic as the tipper attachment was crucial to ensuring operational efficiency wasn’t compromised.

“While we were keen for a battery-powered vehicle option, one challenge we felt could cause issues was the lack of charging infrastructure throughout the city centre and on site, however as the Goupils can be charged by a traditional mains socket this immediately put us at ease. Ultimately, from their bespoke offering to their level of service they have been excellent to work with and we their expert consultation and continued support in facilitating the provision of our new two Goupil G4 vehicles has been invaluable.”