Bin wagons converted to battery power
Local authorities and private sector waste contractors can have their existing diesel bin wagons converted to run on zero-emission battery-electric power thanks to an initiative by Refuse Vehicle Solutions.
The Dursley, Gloucestershire, based firm has teamed up with Emoss of the Netherlands. A specialist engineering company, the latter provides the technology required to carry out the work.
A conversion can cut a refuse truck’s daily running costs by up to £91, Emoss claims. A 26-tonne 6×2 bin wagon serving an arduous urban route may return no more than 3mpg, it points out; and electricity is far cheaper per mile than diesel
Fuel consumption is so high because of the constant stopping and starting, plus the need to power bin lifts and the body’s refuse compactor.
The conversion takes eight to ten weeks, says Emoss head of business development, Vernon Edwards. The engine, gearbox and fuel and AdBlue tanks have to be swapped for a 350kW electric motor and a 200kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
“The batteries can be recharged fully in 4.5 hours from a 63-amp power source,” he said.
“A 26-tonne bin wagon on city centre rounds that has been re-powered in this way should be able to achieve a 60-mile range between recharges,” Edwards added.
RVS is marketing the repowered and refurbished trucks under the e-One banner. They come with a five-year battery warranty, while Emoss’s conversion kit carries a two-year warranty.
The first e-One has been sold to the Recycling Partnership of Crawley, West Sussex, which collects commercial waste.
Battery-powered trucks do not need as much servicing as their diesel counterparts, Edwards points out, and are not liable to charges when entering low-emission zones. Nor are they liable to Vehicle Excise Duty.
Repowering and rejuvenating an existing refuse truck can cost less than half the £320,000 to £330,000 it costs to purchase a brand-new battery-electric model, and RVS and Emoss are not the only businesses active in the field. Skelmersdale, Lancashire-based Electra Commercial Vehicles and Sheffield’s Magtec offer conversions, too.
