Emissions from fleet account for around one fifth of the overall emissions from the Council’s operations. The plan for replacing end-of-life diesel vehicles with electric alternatives is now firmly in place. It will see 177 electric vehicles delivered in three phases over six years. In 2020, 20 diesel vans were replaced for electric vehicles.
The replacement of older refuse vehicles, including refuse trucks will start to be ordered in 2020/21, for delivery in 2021/22. These are diesel vehicles with electric bin lifts. These and other activities have resulted in the Council being nominated for a 'Green Fleet of the Year' award.
The proposed actions on City Council fleet and equipment for 2021 are:
2.2.1 - Purchase a further 38 electric fleet vehicles in 2021 as part of the plan for all City Council vehicles below three tonnes to be electric by 2022.
2.2.2 - Purchase and install electric bin lifts for seven vehicles in the fleet.
2.2.3 - Pilot the use of electric tools in managing the City Council's green estate, as a step towards removing petrol powered tools.
2.2.4 - Trial new approaches to managing the city's green infrastructure which reduce the need for machinery and increase carbon capture.
2.2.5 - Install a new tracker system that captures and reports the carbon dioxide emissions from all fleet vehicles.
2.2.6 - Implement and monitor vehicle-to-grid charge points on the City Council estate at Prince Rock Depot, Windsor House and Ballard House.
2.2.7 - Purchase an electric powered road sweeper for trial in the city.