Basildon's first high-spec 12.5-tonne Electra eCargo with Hillend Engineering Micro XHD body went into service in April 2023, with the entire fleet operational at the beginning of July.
The vehicles feature a payload of 7900 kg with 140kWh battery capacity and a range of up to 250 km. The 150 KW DC fast-charge capability means the trucks can be double-shifted and exceed their range by over 100 miles in under an hour.
Cllr Kevin Blake, cabinet member responsible for Carbon Reduction, said: 'Basildon Borough Council spent considerable time reviewing the services we offer to our community and ways to assist climate change issues within the borough. We are working hard to become a carbon net-zero authority by 2030 with a borough target of achieving carbon net-zero status by 2050.’
‘I am pleased that we are the first local authority to offer a zero-emission food waste collection service in the UK,’ said Russell Markstein, chief commercial officer, NRG Riverside.
'We have been working in partnership with Basildon Council since 2011, when we developed a high-tech workshop together while taking on the local authority workshop staff. We helped fulfil the Council's ambitions by working with local colleges to create an apprentice scheme and recruiting local apprentices and engineers.
'We have supplied Basildon with the highest quality vehicles since we first worked together. Our arrangement started with providing the cleanest Euro V diesel trucks and equipping the entire waste collection fleet with all-electric bin lifts. Now, we have reached another milestone by delivering the country's first municipal fully electric food waste fleet to Basildon in record time.'
