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, the first of four units to service households of the London Borough of Enfield.

Powered by four lithium-ion batteries, its two AC synchronous electric machines provide power for the vehicle 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 its parks operations. The new electric vehicles will cover between 50-100 miles per day: refuse collections clocking up around 50 miles per day and the street cleaning team covering around 30 miles. The new electric vehicles will be charged at The Civic Centre in Enfield Town or the Morson Road depot, all 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.”

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