The strategies are part of the council’s new Net Zero Action Plan, which was approved by cabinet members in a meeting last Tuesday.

A meeting report confirms that a complete fleet review is in progress and will involve an assessment of ‘the possibility and cost analysis of electrification of relevant vehicles’ using Midlands Net Zero Hub analysing data.

According to the document, the council will consider the electrification of its heavy goods vehicle (HGV) fleet and refuse collection vehicles following the review, with a potential bid to the Electrification of Depots feasibility programme in Q2 2025 included in the plan.

After the feasibility studies are completed, the council will ‘look to a gradual replacement of current diesel fleet with zero emission vehicles as and when each vehicle has reached a point where replacement is required. This should include LCVs [light commercial vehicles] and RCVs [refuse collection vehicles]’, the report reads.

The plan will also involve an investigation of alternative low-emission fuel sources, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which is described in the report as an ‘interim measure prior to electrification’ that supports the council’s broader goals of decarbonising its fleet.

Other measures to be considered are reviews of the placement of electric charging infrastructure at council sites for operational vehicles, possible route optimisation methods for refuse vehicles, and feasibility studies for systems such as solar mats and electric bin lifts.

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