RHYL College's investment in green and sustainable technology is continuing at a swift pace after it recently took delivery of a £40,000 Tesla electric car for its Centre for Automotive Technology.

Nearly £100,000 in total has been invested in the college’s electric vehicle/hybrid fleet to date, but the benefits to future motor vehicle students and the industry in the region will be immeasurable.

The most recent vehicle purchase was made possible by Welsh government net zero funding.

The college – which has been running electric vehicle/hybrid courses since 2015 - is continually updating its electric vehicle/hybrid fleet as technology advances, enabling it to deliver up-to-date training to the students as well as the trade.

The latter market includes workshop technicians who are now regularly coming into contact with electric and hybrid vehicles - whether it's carrying out servicing, MOTs or diagnostics.

Tutor Garry Roberts said: “The response from our students to the Tesla’s arrival has been a joy to watch.

“The college is building an impressive stock of electric and hybrid vehicles to meet the demands of the future.

“The college’s resources are the best that I have seen within industry for training purposes.

“The industry is changing rapidly and our students and staff have really bought into the electric revolution.

“In relation to our courses in general, local garages have been extremely keen, signing members of staff up in order to update their skills.

“Even the AA is booked in for after Easter to upskill members of staff dealing with roadside assistance.

In the near future, the college will be offering new courses in air conditioning for industry, as it is a different set-up within electric vehicles and specialist training is needed.

It will also be offering training for Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS), including lane assist and adaptive cruise control.

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Alwyn Jones, Coleg Llandrillo’s programme area manager for engineering and motor vehicle, said: “We are delighted to have been able to purchase such a high specification vehicle as the Tesla.

“This acquisition will help facilitate the delivery of our electric vehicle/hybrid courses to the industry.

“This vehicle is in addition to a range of electric/hybrid vehicles that already exist in the motor vehicle department at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhyl campus: a Toyota Prius Hybrid, a BMW 13 EV range, a VW Golf plug-in hybrid, and a Nissan Leaf full-electric vehicle.

“This will give our learners, apprentices and commercial customers a real working experience when attending our courses.”

For more information on Coleg Llandrillo’s motor vehicle courses, email rhyladmissions@gllm.ac.uk or go to www.gllm.ac.uk.