Vauxhall toasts Ampera Fleet win with Chivas Brothers

Scotch Whisky and premium gin company Chivas Brothers, part of the Pernod Ricard group, has taken delivery of ten Vauxhall Ampera pool cars to travel between its distillery and bottling sites in the UK.
 
"We had ten hybrid cars on our fleet that were scheduled for renewal and we wanted to replace them with something just as good, if not better, in terms of environmental credentials and efficiency," said Tristan Campbell, Fleet Advisor at Chivas Brothers. "Our team does a lot of daily journeys over smaller distances between our 26 manufacturing and production sites in Scotland, but need the added flexibility to go further afield when necessary, so the Ampera fitted the bill perfectly."
 
The ten Ampera pool cars have been supplied in black and are adorned with Chivas Brothers' livery. The cars will stay on the fleet for five years and will each cover 60,000 miles (12,000 miles per year). Although most journeys are 30-35 miles per round trip, visits to the company's sites in northern Scotland involve a 420-mile round trip.
 
The Amperas will be split up, with four cars based at the company's head office in Paisley, four at its bottling plant in Dumbarton and the remaining two being based in various locations further north. Chivas Brothers is installing heavy-duty, weather resistant and vandal-proof 32A smart chargers with help from Transport Scotland and the Energy Saving Trust. A renewable electricity tariff has also been secured to ensure that only zero-carbon energy will be used to charge the Amperas.
 
"We have calculated that the Amperas will reduce our carbon footprint by 18 tonnes per year - or 90 tonnes over five years – compared with the hybrid vehicles they are replacing,” Tristan added.
 
"The Amperas have received very positive feedback from the drivers who will use them every day. Not only do they look good, but they are very comfortable to drive and our employees have commented that they are incredibly smooth and responsive. The equipment is comprehensive and the vehicle preconditioning feature is particularly useful for Scottish winters!"
 
Paul Adler, Fleet Marketing and Motability Manager for Vauxhall, said: "We are delighted to have supplied Chivas Brothers with ten Amperas, which certainly drink responsibly with a combined fuel economy figure of 235mpg!"
 
Chivas Brothers is committed to increasing the energy efficiency of its distilleries, with most sites now using up to 20 per cent less energy to produce a litre of alcohol than the industry benchmark for their type. Overall energy usage per litre has fallen by 11 per cent in the last 5 years. In addition, the company has a 'zero waste' target, with a recycling figure of 88 per cent already achieved across the business.
 
For further information, visit vauxhall.co.uk/fleet.