Edinburgh City Council Unveils New Electric Refuse Collection Fleet

EDINBURGH CITY COUNCIL

Championed as one of the most progressive cities in the UK (and one of the largest) Edinburgh is home to more than 500,000 constituents and an impressive EV fleet of over 150 decarbonised cars, vans, and buses for the dedicated use of the council. With no plans to slow down anytime soon; dedicating themselves to becoming a completely Net Zero city in the next six years.

SCOPE

Thanks to funding from Zero Waste Scotland, The City of Edinburgh Council will be welcoming new electric refuse collection vehicles (eRCVs) as part of their goal to electrify the council’s entire fleet by the end of 2024. The new 20 tonne vehicles will help the city to expand their recycling facilities and better support their constituents’ needs.

To support the growth of their EV fleet, the council felt the need to expand their chargepoint network and came to Rolec to devise a plan. New vehicles mean new charging requirements, specifically in this case, the council were looking for ultra-rapid chargers, with the scope to deliver charge to these larger vehicles.

The chargers also had to account for the difference in vehicle height and dimensions and therefore needed to be fit with longer than standard cables. Furthermore, with the ever-growing nature of their EV fleet, the council also prioritised chargepoints that could be scaled-up as and when the need arose.

SOLUTION

Rolec provided Edinburgh City Council with 10 x 80kW UltraCharge 160 chargepoints, each with extended 7m cables and capable of being upgraded to up to 160kW at a later date. Creating a robust and scalable charging network capable of handling the needs of these larger EVs. All of which is backed up by an extended hardware warranty provided by Rolec.

They also opted for OCPP 1.6-J hardware to allow them even more freedom with their back-office. Giving the council the opportunity to trial Monta’s software, with the capacity to revert back to ChargePlace Scotland if they wish in the future.

BENEFIT

The EV hardware provided by Rolec means the council will be able to meet their environmental aims on two fronts: delivering expanded recycling services to their constituents and cutting fleet carbon emissions at the same time.

‘We are forever encouraged by local councils who put sustainability at the forefront of what they do, and Edinburgh City Council is no exception. Their continued focus on reducing carbon emissions through advanced policy changes and a passion for fleet electrification has defined this project. It was a pleasure to work with the team and we look forward to seeing their continued development.’ – commented Josh Holstead, Business Development Manager, Rolec EV division

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