Cumbria Tourism gears up for an electric road trip with the help of the BMW iX40.

Ahead of World EV Day this Friday 9 September and World Tourism Day later this month (27 September), Lloyd BMW has teamed up with Cumbria’s official Destination Management Organisation Cumbria Tourism for an electric road trip for the ages.



Taking place throughout the month of September, Cumbria Tourism will be travelling the breath of the county on a new forward-thinking project to identify 30 local businesses to receive electric car charging points funded by patron Electricity North West.

After a visit to their local experts Lloyd South Lakes BMW, a sit down with BMW EV specialist Jonathan Jeffery and a detailed hand-over for the team, including how to switch the interior lights to the colours of the Cumbria Tourism logo, Gill and her team hit the road in their new BMW iX40.



We are thrilled to have been asked by Cumbria Tourism to collaborate on such an interesting and impactful project concerning the sustainability of our county’s largest industry. We hope our partnership will show tourists, customers and businesses, how easy it is to travel and live in Cumbria with an EV – and help tackle some of the misconceptions around charging, battery reliability and range anxiety.
 
Look out for our blog series and social media activity under the hashtag #ThePerfectPlaceToGoElectric to see how we get on.

Distinguished guests on our tour of Cumbria will include key tourism figures Dan Visser and Cumbria Tourism’s Chairman and President Jim Walker, who will all experience what it’s like to go electric as they travel to speak directly to businesses on their home turf about issues such as spiralling costs, recruitment challenges and staff housing, as well as wider efforts to signpost leaner, greener ways of living and working.



Local business development manager and EV expert, Jonathan Jeffery, says
“We are looking forward to working alongside Cumbria Tourism and assisting them on what will be a dynamic and forward-thinking project to futureproof the Cumbrian tourism industry and establish ourselves as industry leaders in sustainability.
 
The future is definitely electric and here at Lloyd Motor Group we are committed to helping both customers and businesses make the switch. As the Government aims for an end to combustion engines by 2030, there is no better time to be learning more about EV’s.
 
Across the month of September, we will be teaming up with Cumbria Tourism to bring you honest, down to earth commentary on what it’s like to be living with electric. Follow Lloyd Carlisle BMW, Lloyd Cockermouth BMW and Lloyd South Lakes BMW to find out what we’re getting up to.”


 
 
Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, Gill Haigh, says, “I always enjoy getting out meeting businesses face-to-face, whether they are long-standing tourism operators or newer emerging companies wanting to forge new connections. Right now, there is deep-seated concern about skyrocketing costs and it is vital we get detailed feedback about what’s happening on the ground, in order to make the strongest possible case for support from high-level decision makers – not least to the new Prime Minister.
 
“Sustainable tourism is also an increasingly important focus for us and supporting our members to work in the most sustainable way they can is a key part of this. For instance, this latest initiative builds on a recent joint project between Cumbria Tourism and our Patrons Electricity North West to support small tourism operators wanting to provide electric vehicle charging for their visitors.
 
“A special thanks goes out to the Lloyd Motor Group, who have made this important county-wide tour possible.”


 
For more information on Cumbria Tourism:

Cumbria Tourism is the county’s official Destination Management Organisation and is at the heart of the Cumbria Visitor Economy. It is also the largest membership organisation in Cumbria with 2,500 members. In 2021, more than 37 million people visited Cumbria, contributing £2.63 billion to the local economy, and supporting 31,843 full time jobs.

• To find out more about the work of Cumbria Tourism, visit www.cumbriatourism.org

• For more information about visiting the Lake District, Cumbria, visit: www.visitlakedistrict.com