FUNERALS are about to get greener on the Island, as the UK’s first fully electric Tesla-based hearse has been delivered to local Co-operative funeral services providers.

Southern Co-op, which operates five funeral branches here, in Shanklin, Ryde, Newport, Lake, Cowes, and Freshwater, has taken delivery of the new ground-breaking Wisper based on the Tesla Model S.

The hearse will be available at all Co-operative Funeralcare branches run by Southern Co-op and will enable families to say goodbye to their loved ones in a more environmentally responsible way.

With state-of-the-art technology and equipment, the entirely silent hearse is zero-emission with fully electric operation, with a 220-mile single-charge range capability powered at Southern Co-op sites using electricity from renewable sources.

Steve Pearce, Southern Co-op's chief operating officer for End of Life Services, said: "This day has been a long time coming with delays caused by the pandemic and waiting for it to be approved for use on the UK's roads.

"There is only one other existing electric hearse in the UK which is much more compact so we hope this will offer people an elegant alternative which echoes a more traditional appearance.”

As well as the hearse, Southern Co-op is also the first funeral business in the UK to take delivery of two new hybrid Mercedes E-Class limousines and two E class hybrid hearses.

Mark Smith, chief executive at Southern Co-op, said: "It's important that we all work together to tackle climate change, so we are delighted to offer customers the choice of a more environmentally favourable funeral fleet and to take the next step on our sustainability journey together.”