Distances too great to use electric bin lorries in Shropshire, says transport chief
Electric bin lorries will not be used in Shropshire – because the distance between towns and the power needed to run them is not practical.
But a senior councillor says he feels hybrid vehicles – which use electric and regular fuel – is the way to go.
Councillor Simon Harris, deputy portfolio holder for transport, said the authority was looking at technology much further down the line in a bid to be green and tackle climate change.
He said: “We have looked at using electric bin lorries as some people have suggested but it just won’t work in a county like Shropshire.
“There is such a distance between places, linked by rural roads and the batteries needed to power those huge trucks is just too much.
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“It is even the same with say highways vehicles. If one of our staff has a job in say Bishop’s Castle and then one in Whitchurch it won’t happen.
“They might get to Bishop’s Castle, but they then won’t be making it to Whitchurch, they will run out of battery.
“That is why we are looking more towards hybrid vehicles currently that use up the battery and then switch to fuel.
Forefront
“We are also looking much further down the line at technology that hasn’t yet been introduced,
“There’s no point in us now investing in something that will be obsolete before you know it. We need to be looking at being ahead of the curve and at the forefront of the next wave.”
Councillor Harris also said the council had adopted a new way of staff using council vehicles from Shirehall.
“We have a fleet of cars now that are hybrid. If staff want to start using them now they can and indeed they are,” he said.
“They are at Shirehall. You swipe your membership card against the vehicle, it opens, you enter your card in the vehicle and it frees the keys and then the council is charged per mile used by staff, it is terrific.”
He said schemes such as electric bikes had also been rolled out so staff can borrow them to attend meetings local to the office.
“The staff are loving the hybrid vehicles so far,” he added.
“Shire Services staff have used them and given them the thumbs up. It is all about looking to the future.”
