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Cop26: The electric cars of the world market leaders could be powered by generators fed with vegetable oil due to the lack of chargers

The UK government has confirmed the plan despite insisting that “sustainability will be at the heart of Cop26”.

The fleet of approximately 240 Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, including the I-PACE SUVs, will be deployed next month to transport the 120 visiting Heads of State and their entourage between their hotels and the SEC’s Glasgow location.

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A Cop26 spokesman said where generators would be needed to charge the vehicles, they would run on hydrogenated vegetable oil – recycled cooking oil – made from waste products.

I-PACE SUVs will be among the 240 or so Jaguar Land Rover electric cars bringing world leaders to the Cop26 conference. Image: Jaguar Land Rover

The number of generators provided and their locations have yet to be determined, but there is speculation that the Gleneagles Hotel could be 47 miles from Glasgow.

The spokesman said: “The world’s leaders will be powered by electric vehicles for the duration of their stay.

“The UK will offset any carbon emissions associated with running the event.

“We are aiming for ISO 20121 certification, which will cover all aspects of the sustainability of the event, including carbon, waste management and supply chain management.

“For this we work together with sustainability consultants.”

The experimental use of hydrogenated vegetable oil to power generators during the construction of the 21 Moorfields office development in central London for two years saved 1 tonne of carbon per 350 liters of fuel consumed, but also caused 71 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions and 23 percent percent of airborne diesel particles .

Announcing the Jaguar SUV’s Cop26 role last month, the UK government said: “The vehicles are all sourced from existing fleets in the UK and are helping to keep the carbon footprint low.”

Jaguar Land Rover said the vehicles, which cost more than £ 62,245, could travel 292 miles on a single charge.

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Cop26 President-elect Alok Sharma said the cars demonstrated “the automaker’s climate leadership in their field.”

Thierry Bolloré, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, said it was delighted to “enable zero-emission transportation at the summit”.

However, sustainable transport activists were appalled by the lack of planning to ensure sufficient electric chargers were available.

They said heads of state should instead use the free electric shuttle bus service for Cop26 delegates between Glasgow city center and the SEC.

Colin Howden, Director of Transform Scotland, said: “It is a shame the UK government is trying at the very last minute to install chip-fat generators.

“Governments are great at pretending to be taking action on sustainable transport, but this shows the total lack of preparation for the required wholesale phasing out of fossil fuel cars.

“Of course we have a fleet of new electric buses in Glasgow.

“So maybe this should be used as an opportunity to get some of these world leaders out of their cars and into buses.”

A spokesman for the Gleneagles Hotel said: “No charging generators have been set up in Gleneagles and we are not aware of the details of these plans.”

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