To ensure he can remain on the go, a portable charging point has been installed at Stephen’s home, allowing him to take the first steps to help Openreach Northern Ireland achieve its sustainable fleet goals. Stephen said: “My role is focused on building the ultrafast Full Fibre broadband network throughout Northern Ireland, helping connect homes, businesses, families and friends which means I often drive the length and breadth of the region. “The roll-out of electric vehicles is a welcome one and I’m proud to be the pioneer, doing my part to minimise our impact on the environment. I’m hopeful that we’ll see a lot more electric vans on the road in the coming years.” Mairead Meyer, Director of Openreach in Northern Ireland, added: “The introduction of the first electric vehicle to the fleet in Northern Ireland is an exciting step for Openreach that’s made all the more memorable going to Stephen who has been with the business for 46 years. “This is a great start, but it’s only the beginning of Openreach’s plans to reduce our operational impact. We now have a dedicated project team who are focused on cutting our fleet emissions and identifying alternative, cleaner technologies, with the aim of replacing all possible diesel vehicles by 2030. “We’re focused on upgrading the region’s digital infrastructure to connect as many homes and businesses as possible to our network, and electrifying our fleet is helping us lead the charge in achieving this goal in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.” With more than 70 electric vehicles operating across the UK already, Openreach is committed to replace older vehicles with leaner alternatives and to actively phase out diesel vehicles by upgrading them to electric vehicles once they’re ready for retirement. This, along with the commitment to now only purchasing electric vehicles where possible, will set Openreach in good stead to achieve its goal of migrating more than a third of its fleet to EVs by the mid-2020s. ---- Click here to read Vic Hood makes her mark in video game industry -- A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.