London council collects first electric refuse truck

Enfield Council has begun operating its first fully electric refuse vehicle, the 26-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide, following its “high performance and reliability” during prototype testing on the streets of North London.

The new truck, equipped with CP Davidson Titan’s refuse body, is the first of four to be delivered to the London Borough of Enfield, home to more than 300,000 people, with the remaining three vehicles expected to be in operation by the summer.

Powered by four lithium-ion batteries, the truck has two AC synchronous electric machines and recovering regenerative energy with permanent magnet technology, delivering maximum power of 370 kW peak, continuous power of 260 kW and maximum torque of 850Nm.

The refuse trucks will be joined by a further five 3.5-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech Master 33kWh Cage Tippers for the council’s park maintenance operations.

One of the new vehicles has been allocated to Enfield’s fleet services and converted to a service van to provide on-site repairs and servicing for its fleet and commercial customers.

The new electric vehicles on refuse collections are expected to cover about 50 miles per day, with the street cleaning team clocking up about 30 miles.