Employees at Midcounties Co-op will be offered loans for electric scooter-style motorcycles under a new partnership between the retailer, Co-op Credit Union and Silence UK.
The scheme will be trialled at Midcounties before being rolled out across the co-op retail sector and beyond.
Midcounties colleagues who take up the offer will receive a 10% cash back payment upon purchasing a Silence scooter, worth £327 for the entry-level SO2 Urban model. Manufactured in Barcelona, the scooters feature removable battery tech, so riders can charge them at the nearest standard three-pin UK plug socket, and cost just 1p per mile to run.
Mike Picerking, head of sustainability at Midcounties, said: “We have a target to reduce our direct greenhouse gas emissions by 50% over the next five years as we help to protect our planet for future generations.
“We are also helping our members and customers to live socially responsible and low carbon lifestyles through our products and services to drive down our broader environmental impact. Silence are key to enabling us to deliver our green transport proposition.”
Co-op Credit Union CEO Matt Bland said: “Making the green transition to a low carbon lifestyle is the greatest challenge humans have ever faced. And if we’re going to make the transition successfully, we need solutions that make the shift affordable and accessible for everyone. Not everyone can afford a Tesla but everyone needs to make the change.
“That’s why we’re delighted to be working with Midcounties and Silence UK to bring accessible electric transport to everyone through this fantastic range of electric mopeds, supported by affordable and responsible credit from the Co-op Credit Union.”
Silence UK founding partner Mike Rose said the project was a “really important initiative for the Silence brand in the UK” and added that its products could play a major part in helping co-ops reduce carbon emissions”.
