"Now we are at the forefront in this area," explains Ulf Rydén, Head of Administration and Chairperson in the University's Environmental Committee. Among the other institutes of higher education in Sweden, only KTH and Linköping have moved over to plug-in hybrids. The challenge is now to get others to follow suit."
The vehicles are perfect for short trips where city-driving is necessary. At the same time, the vehicles are still suitable for driving longer distances when temperatures are low.
"These plug-in hybrids are both technically and pedagogically a very good transitional phase as we head towards more electrical car journeys," states Anton Grenhold, Environmental Coordinator at the university. "We need to get used to having to plug in our cars whenever the opportunity arises."
In total, the university now has 12 such cars and a plug-in hybrid minibus for use by the janitorial staff.