A Labour-led council has scrapped plans for a fleet of electric bin lorries [electric garbage trucks] after a trial run found too many “faults” with the electric vehicle (EV) models. [some emphasis, links added]
Wakefield council previously pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2030 and assessed an electric refuse-collection truck for a year.
However, recurring “charging infrastructure and onboard charging faults” led to the vehicle being taken out of service repeatedly.
The local authority said that electric bin lorries “were not practical for heavy-duty, stop-start urban routes” and that the borough had “insufficient” charging infrastructure for a battery-powered fleet.
After the trial, the council – which declared a climate emergency in 2019 – decided to replace its aging diesel-powered fleet with new diesel lorries, rather than zero-emission models.
A spokesman said:
“To ensure reliability, we will be replacing our bin lorry fleet with new diesel vehicles for now.
“We will continue to expand our use of low-emission, smaller, and medium-sized electric vehicles, and keep working to find the best clean energy solution for our larger fleet.”
Councillors expressed “disappointment” after being told of the plans at a committee meeting earlier this month.
A report presented to councillors in 2022 revealed that Wakefield council planned to spend £4.9M (US$6.8M) to shift its entire vehicle fleet to electric.
As well as the authority’s 500 road vehicles, it also planned to buy electric ride-on lawn mowers and tractors as part of its “key commitment” to become carbon-neutral by the end of the decade.
Eight in 10 local authorities across Britain declared climate emergencies between May 2019 and 2023, with many racing to [be the first to announce] their green-focused pledges.
The floodgates were opened after the House of Commons agreed on a motion tabled by Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, for Parliament to declare an emergency.
Local authorities vowed to follow suit by devoting millions of pounds to decarbonize offices, waste-collection trucks, and all council-run services.
Read rest at The Telegraph
