Lookers fully charged and ready to take on Scottish leg of 2,000 mile fundraising challenge

National motor retailer Lookers is taking on the Scottish leg of the biggest charity drive in its history - the Lookers Electric Charge.

The carbon-neutral challenge is in aid of charity Ben and will see a relay of electric vehicles travel 2,000 miles to destinations including all 155 of the retailer’s franchised dealerships, where a wide range of fundraising activities are planned, from carbon neutral days and green energy workshops to test drive events and golf days.

The initiative represents this year’s Industry Leader Challenge run by Ben, which is passed on every year by a business or organisation within the automotive industry to raise vital funds for the charity.

Following its launch in Dublin and Belfast, the Scottish leg began in Audi Ayr on May 24th and will end at Lookers Volkswagen Dumfries on June 2nd .

As well as visiting all 14 of the group’s sites in Scotland - which also operate under the Taggarts brand, the leg will feature a wide range of fundraising activities, including carpool karaoke and fancy-dress challenges.

Among the cars that will be tested for their driveability and range are the new model Nissan Leaf, the Hyundai IONIQ, the Audi A3 e-tron, the Range Rover Sport P-HEV , the Volvo XC90 Plug-In Hybrid and the e-Golf, the fully electric version of the classic Volkswagen model.

Once the electric car relay has completed its Scottish leg, it will then be crossing the border to England where it will travel down the country visiting the Lookers dealership network before reaching its final destination at Mercedes-Benz Eastbourne in October.

The initiative will include over 180 stops in total, including visits to the Electrification Centre of Excellence at the Jaguar Visitor Centre in Castle Bromwich and Ford’s iconic factory in Dagenham. While in London, the Electric Charge will also hold the ultimate showdown between electric car and bike in a first-to-the-finish race across the city.

Zara Ross, Chief Executive at Ben, which provides support for those in need within the motor industry, said: “We are delighted that Andy Bruce and the team at Lookers are taking on this year’s Industry Leader Challenge to fundraise for Ben. We really appreciate their support and we’re very much looking forward to following the team on their epic journey across the UK! Good luck and thank you to everyone involved.”

Lookers CEO Andy Bruce said: “We are very excited to be bringing the Lookers Electric Charge to our dealerships in Scotland and have lots of fundraising activities planned. Central to this is our aim to travel to each site completely carbon neutral. The initiative will enable us to shine a light on a number of important topics and join timely conversations surrounding the electric car industry and, of course, highlight the fantastic work that Ben is doing within the motor retail community.”

You can follow all the action from the Lookers Electric Charge microsite at LOOKERS.CO.UK/EC4BEN, the Lookers YouTube Channel LookersWebTV, and Lookers’ Facebook and Twitter pages @lookersgroup, all of which use the hashtag #LookersEC4Ben.