Manchester orders electric refuse trucks
The English city of Manchester will replace almost half of its refuse collection vehicles with electric alternatives. Following an agreement on the financing, the company responsible has ordered 27 electric refuse collection vehicles.
Following the City Council’s decision, the relevant authority will invest £9.7 million, or the equivalent of €10.8 million, in the new vehicles. “This major investment in new electric bin lorries is a great example of the council’s commitment to playing its full part in tackling climate change and will also contribute to better air quality,” said Angeliki Stogia, the Council’s Environment Commissioner.
This investment is “slightly” higher than in diesel vehicles, but with the government plug-in subsidies and lower energy costs, the purchase of the electric garbage trucks will be balanced over the expected life of ten years.
In Manchester, the Biffa company is responsible for waste disposal. The new vehicles have already been ordered, but the schedule is tight: The 27 electric waste vehicles are to start working for Biffa as early as autumn. The decision had a longer lead time, however, and an electric waste vehicle from the Blackburn-based company Electra has already been tested there for 18 months. Electra has now also received the order.
An important result of the practical test was that Electra’s electric waste vehicle was able to perform the same tasks as a diesel vehicle without any practical restrictions in terms of load capacity or the range required in use. “The only difference to the new service that residents should notice is that the new vehicles are quieter and cleaner,” says city councillor Rabnawaz Akbar.
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