Bradford Council trials electric gritter

Bradford Council has added an electric gritter to its fleet as part of a trial to transition its HGV fleet to zero-emission vehicles.

The gritter can achieve a full charge in less than two hours, runs near silent and offers a range of up to 170 miles, depending on load and road conditions.

It is leased from Yorkshire-based Econ Engineering is funded from Clean Air Zone revenue so is offering a saving to the Council base budget. It is expected that there will be operational savings cost per mile of around 0.13p/mile (based on current cost/KW and current price per gallon diesel).

Callum Mapplebeck, principal engineer at Bradford Council, said: “Our drivers have reported that the electric gritter is a lot cleaner to recharge rather than refuelling, has no oil so there are no oil leaks and it a is offers a quiet drive which is a benefit when gritting in residential areas.”

Expanding on the fully electric HGV vehicle trial, looking at replacing the Council’s entire vehicle fleet with EV equivalents, the Council is keen to evaluate how moving to fully electric gritters could be possible in the future.

The EV gritter trial, this winter, will explore the vehicle’s attributes on different routes, capturing real time data from the vehicle such as the location, vehicle performance and battery life. The performance data will be analysed and used to assess the practicality of electric gritters for future years as well as on the use of new cost saving technologies.

Bradford Council’s lead member for regeneration, transport and planning, councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, said: “It is great to be extending the number of fully electric vehicles in the Bradford Council fleet as we move forwards looking ambitious target of achieving net zero carbon by 2038. It is important that we explore new technology solutions, switching to electric is as an investment for the future, and a powerful tool for reducing CO2 emissions.”

As part of a school competition, pupils at Dixons Music Primary Academy have named the electric gritter “Glittery Ice Machine”. The EV gritter will be integrated into the Bradford Council fleet based out of Wakefield Road Depot where it will be treating roads in Little Horton, Great Horton, Wibsey, Woodside and the City Centre.