Picture caption L to R: Kerry Williams, Head of Service Operations, WCBC & Darren Williams, Chief Officer Environment & Technical, WCBC with the CTS Hire eRCV
Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC) has taken delivery of an all-electric refuse collection vehicle (eRCV) to assess how it performs against that of a conventional diesel engine, whilst collecting waste from households across the Borough over the coming weeks.
This will include monitoring the impact of frequent start and stops and bin lifts on vehicle battery life, the charge-up requirements impact on staff working patterns, and the 27-tonne truck's suitability on the Borough's varied collection rounds, in different neighbourhoods, streets and gradients.
WCBC is the first local authority in Wales to hire an eRCV of this type from municipal vehicle hire company CTS Hire on a short-term arrangement.
David Jones, Senior Transport Manager, WCBC said:
"Our diesel refuse collection vehicles perform a hugely demanding task.
"Every waste collection round is different and puts a different strain on vehicles and our crews, which is why it is important to give this specialist electric bin lorry a thorough test drive in real-life day to day operations.
"We're delighted to be the first local council in Wales to test this new electric refuse collection vehicle from CTS Hire and give our waste collection crews the chance to work with the latest technology.
"We're excited to see how well it works for us and will be monitoring how it performs. This will help us to understand the capabilities of electric refuse collection vehicles and make informed decisions about their viability for potential use in Wrexham in the future."
Wrexham Council declared a climate emergency in July 2019 pledging to take all necessary steps to become carbon neutral by 2030.
The Council has a fleet of around 315 vehicles, 19 of which are electric.
Darren Williams, Chief Officer for Environment & Technical added:
"We have set an ambitious target for carbon emission reductions by 2030 across our council operations and introducing more electric vehicles to our fleet is one of the ways we are working to meet our objectives.
"These electric trucks are much quieter than their diesel counterparts and have zero CO2 emissions leading to reduced noise and air pollution, which makes them ideal for operating in busy urban areas. More sustainable alternatives are a huge step in the right direction for us to achieve our aims while continuing to deliver the front-line services on which our residents rely."
Bob Sweetland, Managing Director, CTS Hire, said: "We commend WCBC on being the first council in Wales to trial this eRCV technology and we look forward to receiving their feedback on how the vehicle performs on rounds in the Borough. It’s important that local authorities try out different technologies before investing for the long term and our rental eRCVs give them the opportunity to do just that.”
CTS Hire is the municipal vehicle rental division of contract hire and fleet management company Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS). CTS offers a wide range of high-quality, FORS, LEZ and DVS compliant vehicles, featuring the latest technological and safety enhancements, supported by a 24/7 national mobile engineer and workshop network. The fleet includes 3.5t-26t Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCV), specialist recycling vehicles, caged tippers, hook loaders and skip loaders, all available for short to long-term hire including contract hire options.
For more information about CTS Hire: Tel: 01453 511 050; email [email protected]; visit www.ctshire.co.uk.
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