First electric Renault RCVs for council

London’s Enfield Council has taken delivery of its first fully-electric 26 tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide low-entry cab rear-steer refuse truck after an extensive development and evaluation process.

The new ultra-quiet E-Tech D Wide is equipped with CP Davidson Titan refuse body, and is the first of four to be delivered. They will service the households of the London Borough of Enfield, with the remaining three vehicles expected to be on the road by the summer.

Powered by four lithium-ion batteries, two AC synchronous electric machines drive the vehicle and recover regenerative energy with permanent magnet technology delivering maximum peak power of 370kW, continuous power of 260kW, and maximum torque of 850Nm. The refuse trucks will be joined by five 3.5 tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech Master 33kWh Cage Tippers for Enfield’s parks operations.

Depending on operational requirements, the new electric vehicles can cover between 50-100 miles per day: typically refuse collection rounds clock-up around 50 miles and the street cleaners around 30 miles per shift. The vehicles will be charged at The Civic Centre in Enfield Town or the Morson Road depot, both of which are fitted with dedicated charging points.

Explaining the decision to select the Renault Trucks E-Tech electric vehicles, Enfield Council’s cabinet member for environment, Cllr Rick Jewell, said: “Where possible, electric vehicles will be our first choice when it comes to fleet replacements. This will result in a fleet of clean and efficient vehicles. Moving to electric vehicles will ensure our carbon footprint is reduced and kept to a minimum.

“Enfield Council has been working in partnership with Renault Trucks UK for more than a year on the development of the electric refuse truck. Prototypes went through extensive testing and road trials right here in Enfield. We were extremely happy with how the vehicles performed in our waste collection operations, demonstrating high performance and reliability, even along our longer routes, and very good battery life. This performance is critical for a large, busy, London borough.”

Enfield Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Ergin Erbil, added: “Our Climate Action Plan includes a switch of the Council’s vehicle fleet to electric with a target of 60 per cent by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030. In addition, we have a programme of installing charging points at council offices and depots for our fleet, a lamppost EV charging installation programme is currently underway across selected areas of the borough and a roll out of rapid chargers in town centres and at strategic locations in Enfield.”

Cllr Ergin Erbil continued: “Emissions from transport in Enfield account for an estimated 39 per cent of the borough’s total emissions. The electrification of our fleet, along with ongoing support for walking and cycling, will help to achieve our local climate action goals as well as the Mayor of London’s targets for active and sustainable travel in the capital.”

The E-Techs will be maintained by Renault Trucks dealer Norfolk Truck & Van, Enfield on a full R&M contract.