The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership recognized the accomplishments of 22 companies with its first annual LowCVP Low Carbon Champion Awards. This award show was part of the partnership’s annual conference on July 14-15 at Twickenham Stadium in West London. The partnership was created in 2003 and has grown to more than 170 public and private organizations interested in reducing emissions in the UK. The LowCVP Low Carbon Champion Awards recognized successful businesses in seven categories ranging from customer education to low-carbon innovation.
The Innovation Award and the Special Award were devoted to companies that have contributed broadly to low-emissions vehicle development. The Innovation Award featured nominees like Gordon Murray Design and Oxford Yasa Motors that have presented promising technologies. The Special Award was devoted to nominees that have advanced green vehicle technology the furthest in the past year. These nominees included development agency One North East and TheGreenCar website.
The LowCVP Low Carbon Champion Awards also recognized the technical aspects of low-carbon transportation developments. Nominees for the Road Freight Award included Smith Electric Vehicles and other companies that improved emissions standards for commercial vehicles. The Buses Award included nominees like Transport for London Bus Services involved in reducing emissions in public transportation. The Fuel Supplier or Retailer Award featured nominees like Greenergy Fuels that sought to increase supplies of alternative fuels.
Visitors to the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership Annual Conference also recognized the organizational and customer service accomplishments of nominees. The Low Carbon Car Communication Award celebrated companies like Vauxhall and BMW that have educated the public about cleaner vehicles. The conference also presented the Low Carbon Road Transport Programme Award to organizations responsible for creating programs to simplify low-carbon vehicle management. This award listed a public nominee in the UK Department for Transport and a private nominee in Leaseplan UK.
The inaugural presentation of the LowCVP Low Carbon Champion Awards promoted the top tier of green vehicle supporters in the UK. The nominees for these awards have pushed the UK into the preliminary stages of a large-scale vehicle evolution. We need only look at the partnership’s awards list to see how far the UK has traveled toward zero emissions since 2003. From consumer education to vehicle sales, the LowCVP Low Carbon Champion Awards show the need for public-private collaboration in the UK on a comprehensive low-emissions transportation plan.
