Bridgend County Borough Council and its waste partners Kier have announced the acquisition of an all-electric refuse lorry for an exhibition day.
The Dennis eCollect will be around the county borough on Tuesday and will provide crucial information for future choices for Ultra Low Emissions vehicles in the county borough.
Dennis Eagle say the vehicle has been put through rigorous testing including climate chamber tests in temperatures ranging from -10 degrees Celsius to 41 degrees Celsius and accelerated durability test to simulate 10 years’ worth of wear and tear in just a few months.
It has also been assessed on a range of road surfaces with different gradients and variable terrains at specialist proving grounds.
This trial of an all-electric refuse collection lorry gives us an opportunity to assess further ways that will help on our journey to a carbon-zero 2030.
Bridgend County Borough Council takes our 2030 Zero Carbon agenda very seriously and we are continuing plans to undertake an innovative and radical decarbonisation programme across the local authority and in so doing, develop accurate, scientific and robust support to enable the delivery and achievement of this ambition.
Deputy Leader Hywel Williams
In September last year, the local authority announced that it had been awarded over £450,000 of funding to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The funding, provided by Welsh Government’s Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) Transformation Fund will see charging points installed in public places, car parks and at workplaces across the county borough.
The project aims to meet Welsh Government’s vision for charging in Wales which is that by 2025, all users of electric cars and vans in Wales are confident that they can access electric vehicle charging infrastructure when and where they need it.
In addition, the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal was awarded significant funding for on-street charging points and an electric taxi fleet. Bridgend was allocated six electric taxis last year which were made available on a ‘try before you buy’ basis for current taxi fleet operators.
