Danish firm phases out ICE

Danish power company Ørsted aims to have an all-electric car fleet by 2025.

From 2021, the company says it will no longer buy or lease fossil-fuelled internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

A member of The Climate Group’s global EV100 initiative encouraging businesses to transition to EVs by 2030, Ørsted is a key global player in offshore wind energy and for the past 10 years has transformed its energy generation from fossil fuels to renewables.

The company says it has reduced its carbon emissions from energy generation by 83% and is well on track to meet its target of a 98% reduction of carbon emissions by 2025.

Now it will replace the company’s 340 work and passenger car fleet with EVs, including battery-powered and hybrid vehicles, with 22% of the fleet already electric.

“We’ve made great strides in switching power generation to green energy, and the next big challenge will be the transport sector, which at the moment is predominantly based on fossil fuels,” Ørsted strategy and communication head Jakob Askou Bøss says.

“Fortunately, big technological advances are being made at the moment, making electric vehicles competitive. That is why we’ve decided that, from 2021, we’ll only buy and lease electric vehicles, and that our entire fleet will be electric by 2025.”

Ørsted will also install and upgrade EV charging points and associated infrastructure at its largest office locations and continue to collaborate with EV car-sharing companies.

“Ørsted is showing how large businesses can deliver the dream of truly clean transport, electric vehicles powered by renewable energy, in a matter of years not decades. We’re thrilled to welcome Ørsted onboard as the first Danish company within the EV100 initiative,” The Climate Group international communications director Luke Herbert says.

About 52 firms globally are involved with the EV100 project, including New Zealand companies such as Air New Zealand, Christchurch Airport, Mercury, Meridian Energy, Genesis Energy, LeasePlan, plus CPL Group which has investments in Australia.