Westminster waste powers Dennis Eagle RCVs
Westminster City Council, together with waste management specialist Veolia, has rolled out a fleet of 45 electric refuse collection vehicles (RCV) said to be the largest of its kind in the UK – having selected the Dennis Eagle eCollect.
Available in 6×2 and a smaller 4×2 configuration, the eCollect is an all-electric sustainable solution that is said to be highly efficient and cost-effective, and is helping to improve air quality across a number of major cities.
Completing 50 million collections each year in the London borough, the Dennis Eagle eCollects are helping Westminster City Council deliver essential services.
The new eRCV fleet is said to save over 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, reducing CO2e by 89 per cent compared to a diesel alternative, significantly contributing to the council’s ambitions to be a net zero council by 2030 while improving the air quality. Further helping to reduce miles and emissions, the RCVs are UK-built whilst also ensuring that the service is quieter for residents, too.
Each eCollect is powered by either three or five lithium-ion batteries positioned on the chassis for optimum load distribution. The 4×2 produces 180kWh while the 6×2 delivers 300kWh of power to drive the 200kW motor. The latter is capable of collecting 20 tonnes of waste over eight hours before needing to be recharged overnight for between six and seven hours, making it super hardworking.
And in Westminster, it’s this waste gathered by the eCollect that is powering the vehicles. Westminster City Council’s depot is based close to the South East London Combined Heat and Power facility (SELCHP) that creates electricity from local residual waste. It processes up to 464,000 tonnes of waste annually and produces enough electricity to power around 48,000 homes. The electricity generated at SELCHP is then providing power to the eCollect fleet via smart chargers that allow them to be charged at off-peak times to ensure resources prioritise local demand.
Dennis Eagle’s sales and marketing director, Richard Taylor, said: “The eCollect is supporting a number of councils to provide essential waste collection services while reducing emissions. We’re delighted to see the eCollect on the streets of Westminster, providing a sustainable, efficient and cost-effective service while also improving air quality.
“The entire vehicle – chassis, body and bin lift – have been designed and purpose-built in the UK by our Dennis Eagle team; we’re focused on providing solutions that meet the complex needs of our customers and support them in achieving their sustainability requirements and goals.”
The eCollect 27t 6×2 is said to be ideal for routes that include large modern housing estates, while the smaller 18t 4×2 configuration is more compact for narrow streets. Each offers outstanding manoeuvrability and the same zero-emissions performance, adds Dennis Eagle.
