A BUSINESSMAN has set up a genuinely zero emission delivery company using an electric vehicle fleet powered by 'green' electricity. Douglas Moody-Stewart got the idea when two sets of nappies for his baby were delivered to his house separately in different seven-tonne diesel trucks on the same day.

He was so horrified by the thought of the environmental damage that the delivery vehicles were causing that he decided to start his own delivery firm running zero emission electric vans. Operating in the central London area, Electric City will launch at the end of July after six months of trials, using two Peugeot Partners and two Citroen Berlingos.

The company received a 75% Powershift grant for the extra cost of buying electric vehicles. Initially, the company will be concentrating on business-to-business deliveries, but is looking to eventually expand into other markets, and add more electric vehicles to its fleet as Ken Livingstone's congestion-charging measures take effect.

Director Georgia Malden said: 'People are definitely moving towards trying to limit their environmental impact at work. There will be a big market for this in the future. 'We have taken prospective clients out in the vans and they absolutely love them. People think electric cars must be either milk floats or toys until they try them. Then they change their minds.'

The vans use electricity delivered by Ecotricity, a firm that claims to be the first and largest green electricity supplier in Europe. Using wind, hydro, solar and landfill gases, the company states all power supplied comes from 100% renewable sources.