New Renault electric skiploaders for Ashcourt Group
Company takes delivery of two new 100% electric Renault E-Tech D Wide skip trucks
TO help reduce the environmental impact of their waste-management operations in the Hull area, Ashcourt Group have invested in their first two fully electric 18-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide skip loaders.
Supplied by local Renault Trucks dealers Thompson Commercials Ltd, the two new E-tech D Wides, which come with Harsh HS14T 4x2 skiploader equipment, have the capacity to complete a full day’s work on a single charge with zero tailpipe emissions and low traffic noise.
The electric skiploaders are powered by 265kWh E-Tech traction batteries with four battery packs (each delivering 66kW) located in the wheelbase, providing a maximum torque of 286Nm continuous and 530Nm peak. Both vehicles are charged at Ashcourt Group’s Hull waste-recycling facility, which has been fitted with dedicated DC/AC charging points to service the company’s fleet of electric vehicles.
Luke Stocks, marketing manager for Ashcourt Group, commented: “The company is committed to reducing its environmental impact and sees the deployment of the new electric refuse trucks as a significant step towards achieving its goals. We chose electric trucks after successfully introducing electric vans and cars into our fleet last year, as well as trialling some electric plant equipment in our operations, too.
‘Seeing their performance and carbon footprint reductions first hand gave us the momentum to introduce our first two electric trucks into the Group. From our experiences to date, electric vehicles are something we will continue to explore, and we will monitor the performance of these new trucks very carefully.’
The company’s waste-management activities were identified as a starting point for introducing electric trucks because of the nature of their journeys, which are shorter and in more urban areas.
Mr Stocks continued: ‘The electric vehicles suit this type of work as they’re making regular, smaller journeys to and from our waste-recycling centre, and the truck’s manoeuvrability will help our drivers to navigate smaller streets and tighter access areas. We’re constantly shaping our sustainability goals as a Group…Electric vehicles are a fantastic opportunity for us to reduce our carbon footprint and these Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wides are another big step forward for our waste-management team.’
