The trial will explore how the vehicle works on different routes, capturing data on location, performance and battery life to assess the ‘practicality’ of using electric gritters in future.

The vehicle, which was named ‘Glittery Ice Machine’ as part of a competition for schools, has a range of up to 170 miles, depending on load and road conditions, and can be fully charged in under two hours.

It was leased from Yorkshire-based firm Econ Engineering using revenue from Bradford’s Clean Air Zone.

The council has estimated operational cost savings of about 13p per mile.

Bradford’s lead member for regeneration, transport and planning, Alex Ross-Shaw, said: ‘It is important that we explore new technology solutions. Switching to electric is an investment for the future, and a powerful tool for reducing CO2 emissions.’

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