In a London-first, Conservative-led Westminster City Council is trialling two electric powered waste collection vehicles over the next two years. These up-cycled former diesel engined lorries have been fitted with five batteries each which will enable the vehicles to carry out a normal waste collection round with one overnight charge.
Commenting on the trial, Cllr Tim Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Environment and City Management, said, “Poor air quality is a major concern to Westminster's residents. We hope that this initiative by the Council will encourage other large vehicle operators to convert their fleet to low emission vehicles.”
The trial reflects a number of measures that the Conservative Council is taking to improve air quality, building on the commitments made in their 2018 manifesto.