The trial of the Volvo FE Low Entry Cab RCV will start in towns and cities like Calne, Chippenham, and Salisbury. It will later be tested across rural parts of the county.

Wiltshire’s cabinet member for waste and environment, Dominic Muns, said: ‘This trial will establish what percentage of collection routes could realistically be achieved with an electric vehicle, fully testing the capabilities of eRCVs in Wiltshire.

‘It will play a significant role in determining the future procurement of waste collection vehicles and how they can potentially be utilised across the county.’

The eRCV has also been adapted to include solar panels from transport innovation firm TRAILAR to support its energy requirements.

TRAILAR’s principal engineer, Adam Buckley-Mayes, said: ‘The benefits of adding solar to the eRCV is the extended vehicle range, reduced charging time, proactive battery maintenance as well as powering all the onboard electrical equipment, therefore reducing requirements on the vehicle's battery.’