Manchester Museum's Story
Manchester Museum has switched to using an electric vehicle to reduce carbon emissions. Our electric van allows us to take the museum's learning programmes out to schools without polluting the air and without the costs associated with our old van.
Here's what Manchester Museum's Director, Esme Ward, says about the van:
"Given our commitment to building a sustainable world, Manchester Museum's decision to switch to a new electric van 2 years ago, was an obvious choice. Sporting striking graphics of our Inflatable Museum, we are now able to take our inspiring museum learning programmes out to local schools, safe in the knowledge that our lasting impacts are the awe and wonder we bring to the classroom".
Useful Learnings from Manchester Museum
If you're considering switching to an electric company vehicle, we recommend using your networks and collaborating with partners. Manchester Museum is part of the University of Manchester so were able to acquire funding from a research project for our electric van. Gathering data and figures to make your case will help with a funding bit. We submitted data on the mileage of our old diesel van, and have installed a remote tracker on the new van to track new usage, which will give us some great impact data!
It's also important to engage your organisation with your decision to switch to an electric vehicle. It is quite a big change and we were aware that it can feel scary and not everyone would feel comfortable driving it. So we made sure everyone had all the information they needed, they understood our decision-making, and they could ask questions so they felt reassured. We also involved staff in the selection process to try to make sure it met everyone's requirements.
Finally, shout about the work and be proud of it! We invested in imagery and branding for our van to make sure that everywhere we drive, including to schools across Greater Manchester, people know it is electric and links to our mission, which is to build a more sustainable world. It's also a canvas where we can promote our Inflatable Museum so it has a dual purpose. And the more people who see organisations taking action for the planet, the more we can inspire change for the greater good.
Manchester Museum's Metrics
Miles travelled on sustainable transport.
