Wiltshire Council explains decision on £323k bin lorry

Following the announcement of its trial around routes in the north of the county, concerns were raised over the cost of the vehicle compared to non-electric equivalents.

Cabinet member for waste and environmen,t Cllr Dominic Muns has explained that the higher costs are expected to be offset “over the complete lifecycle of the vehicle with up to 50 per cent lower fuelling costs estimated”.

READ MORE: Wiltshire Council to trial new £323k electric bin lorry

The vehicle was presented to the public earlier this month. (Image: Jessica Moriarty) He also noted that there would be “modest reductions” in repair and maintenance costs.

According to the council, the new Volvo e-RCV cost approximately £100,000 more than diesel powered equivalents.

Cllr Muns said: "We are fully committed to becoming a carbon neutral organisation and playing our part to support the county to be the same.

“We always strive to be ahead of the curve and lead from the front innovatively and we see the purchase of our electric waste vehicle as an investment.

"100 per cent electric waste vehicles contribute to cleaner air as they do not produce exhaust gas, therefore it is clear they need to be part of the discussion of longer-term fleet strategies to support our climate agenda.”

He added: "The purpose of the trial is to establish what rounds the vehicle works most effectively on, as this will provide some valuable insight ahead of us procuring future waste collection vehicles.”

"The trial will assess the vehicle’s performance in semi-urban, semi-rural, and finally the mainly rural rounds.

“Other councils have purchased multiple electric waste vehicles, but we think having one for now is a sensible approach to provide operational insight of what performance these types of vehicles can deliver and gives us flexibility to consider our future options.

"The new vehicle has the capacity to collect the same amount of household waste as our diesel refuse collection vehicles and will be a vital part of our fleet day in, day out for many years to come.”

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The Volvo FE Low Entry Cab RCV will be trialled at operating depots and assigned to household waste collection rounds, initially starting in largely urban rounds in the northern areas of the county including Calne and Chippenham.

It will later be trialled in the city of Salisbury.

The trial will later look to assess the vehicle’s performance in semi-urban, semi-rural, and finally the mainly rural rounds.