Operating from its Colnbrook base in Berkshire, the first new RCV is now actively serving customers throughout London and the Thames Valley. The waste it gathers is transported to the company’s Lakeside EfW facility, where it is regenerated into electricity to power the vehicle the following day.
A second vehicle is also running in Bristol and a third is due to run in Reading and Newbury. Two more vehicles are planned to run in Colnbrook and Bristol in the coming months.
Looking Ahead
The move to use waste-run electric vehicles is part of the Grundon’s “annual £5 million investment in a greener, cleaner collection fleet and part of its commitment to achieving net zero”.
Grundon director Bradley Smith said: “Our plan is to purchase further electric vehicles, as well as investing heavily in alternative fuels and looking at further hybrid options.
“Potentially, this may include hybrid electric/hydrogen vehicles and we are very excited by the new technology that is coming along. In particular, battery performance is increasing all the time and the further batteries are capable of travelling, the more opportunity there is to invest in this technology.”
A video unveiling the trucks was released this morning and can be seen below.
‘Game-Changer’
Grundon’s investment combines both the conversion of its existing diesel Dennis Eagle Mercedes-Benz Econic waste collection vehicles to electric and the purchase of new Scania electric waste collection vehicles.
The ongoing conversion programme has seen Grundon partner with Refuse Vehicle Solutions (RVS), a leader in the remanufacture of waste vehicles, and Dutch vehicle conversion technology specialist EMOSS.
Neil Grundon, chairman of Grundon said: “We see this innovation as a real game-changer and an important milestone on our ongoing journey towards further helping our customers achieve their sustainability targets.”
“We are collecting their waste in electric vehicles, turning it into electricity via our Lakeside Energy from Waste facility and using it to power our vehicles ready for their next collections. It is a perfect example of the circular economy in action, and we believe it is the first time any waste company has delivered such an innovative and forward-thinking programme.
Mr Grundon continued: “For every tonne of non-recyclable waste deposited, the EfW generates around 620kW of power. Given that each all-electric vehicle collects an average of five tonnes of waste per round, it means the EfW can generate 3,100kW of energy per day, per vehicle.”
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