Birmingham trials first zero-emissions all-electric bin lorry across city’s Clean Air Zone

In the latest step to reduce emissions from road traffic to combat climate change and help people live healthier lives, Birmingham City Council has begun trials of its first all-electric bin lorry.

The Dennis Eagle eCollect will operate in the city’s Clean Air Zone for three weeks until August 12 collecting waste and recycling material from the city centre.

While doing so, it will produce no harmful nitrogen oxide gases, no climate changing carbon gases and it won’t incur a charge for entering the city’s Clean Air Zone.

Cllr Majid Mahmood, Cabinet Member for Environment said: “Birmingham is making the bold transition to zero-emissions operations to help fight climate change and to create clean air for people who live here, work here or visit our city.

“We know of the benefits that electric vehicles bring and we can now look more closely at how this vehicle performs and the services it can deliver.

“With our proud heritage in engineering in the city and wider West Midlands, it is also quite fitting that this ground-breaking vehicle was designed and built just down the road in Warwick. It shows how we are continuing to lead the way in technical innovation.”

The eCollect is powered by five battery packs and an electric motor. It will typically collect about 11 tonnes of waste on each round and will complete two rounds in a day – just as a conventional full-sized bin lorry will. And it will work all day without needing to stop and recharge.

At the end of the shift, the vehicle will return to the depot where it will be fully charged overnight to work on the next shift.

Replacing conventional diesel bin lorries with electric ones would save between 25 and 35 tonnes of CO2 emissions per vehicle each year.

Dennis Eagle Sales and Marketing Director Richard Taylor said: “We are delighted to be able to help Birmingham trial our all-electric vehicle. At lot of work has gone into making it very efficient and cost-effective and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved.

“Making the transition to a zero-emissions future is vitally important to all of us and as we already have close relationships with Birmingham City Council, we’re keen to help them achieve it.”