The county council and the Silverstone-based clean-tech company have agreed a local authority electrification agreement that will see the 26-tonne refuse vehicle converted from its existing diesel power to electric.
Funded with a grant from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the converted truck will be ready to join the council’s fleet by autumn.
Gareth Williams, Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for Climate Change and Environment, said: ‘This is a very exciting moment for Buckinghamshire Council and a big milestone in our journey to cutting our carbon emissions and meeting our climate change strategy ambitions.
‘It marks the first step in our desire to run a more sustainable fleet of vehicles by using a renewable energy source and has multiple additional benefits including improving air quality and saving money both in terms of cheaper every day running costs, and the retention of more than 80% of the embedded carbon versus scrapping an existing vehicle and replacing with new.
‘In this regard, our partnership with Lunaz represents the best possible outcome for both the planet and the taxpayer. It also reflects our commitment as a council, to supporting local business and employment in the area.’
This announcement follows the signing in April 2023 of a seven-year fleet electrification programme between Biffa and Lunaz.
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