All-electric £1m bin lorries to provide rural service

Rural all-electric refuse vehicles are being piloted by SP Energy Networks in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council for the first time in Scotland.

Costing £1 million, the two new refuse vehicles have been funded as part of SP Energy Networks’ £20m Green Economy Fund.

The new electric vehicles, manufactured by Electra Commercial Vehicles at their factory in Blackburn, have a battery size of 287KW which will give a range of approximately 100 miles over 12 hours of operation, enabling bin lorry operators to execute 1,500 bin lifts.

The refuse vehicles are the country’s first for a rural area and will be introduced on to routes serving local communities across both Dumfries and Stranraer, the two largest towns in Dumfries and Galloway.

SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund was established to support the Scottish Government’s ambitious energy strategy and the drive to become net zero by 2045. So far, 35 projects have been awarded funding from SP Energy Networks across Central and Southern Scotland.

In 2019, Dumfries and Galloway Council passed a climate emergency declaration, agreeing to reduce carbon emissions in the region to net zero by 2025.

Cllr John Martin, vice chair of the communities committee at Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: “The generous grant from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund has enabled us to commission two electric refuse vehicles for use in rural communities across the region.

“As a leader in the UK’s transition to net zero, Dumfries and Galloway is in a strong position to pilot green technology that has the potential to transform public services to be greener and cleaner in future years.”

Frank Mitchell, CEO at SP Energy Networks, added: “By funding the first rural fleet of completely electric refuse vehicles, we’re determined that no community will be left behind in the journey to net zero emissions and this is just one of many ways we’re enabling that change.”