Oxford City Council has announced that it will trial its first all-electric refuse collection vehicle today (July 21).
Council-owned company, ODS, will trial the all-electric vehicle in Oxford to support zero carbon ambitions and help to reduce air pollution.
Running from today until Thursday (July 23), the trial will allow ODS to asses performance and suitability of the vehicle ahead of the upcoming delivery of an electric HGV.
The vehicle will collect both residential and commercial waste across the city during the trial.
ODS aims to electrify 35% of its 339 vehicles by 2023, with 34 new electric vehicles being delivered this year, including cars, a street sweeper, an excavator, a mix of different sized vans and a refuse collection vehicle.
Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Customer Focused Services said:
“This is a great example of a practical approach to tackling emissions which contribute to our climate and making sure it works for everyone in Oxford.
“These highly efficient vehicles are designed to be at least as cost-effective as their diesel counterparts over the course of their lifetime so we need to make sure every aspect of working with them is well planned before taking delivery of the first one. It’s good to see our front-line staff working with the very latest technology, which I know is eagerly awaited.”
Last week (July 9) saw the Council install the Energy Superhub Oxford project’s first electric vehicle charging point as part of a £41m project designed to integrate and dramatically decarbonise energy, heat and transport systems across the city.
Image: ODS
