Falkirk Council electrifies diesel fleet

The local authority has replaced its fleet of 12 diesel vehicles with EVs. It's now the first in Scotland to operate a fleet of electric tipper trucks and the first in the UK to deploy electric Luton vans.

This week, Falkirk Council will introduce eight Ford E-Transit Tippers and four e-Transit Luton vans to its fleet, where they will provide key local services including building maintenance and street cleaning.

The Building Maintenance department, which services around 17,000 council properties, will utilise the vehicles for building repairs throughout the area. Meanwhile, the council’s Street Cleaning team will use the tippers to clear bulky fly-tipped items, litter, and public bins.

Previously, the council was using 12 diesel vehicles to provide these services, but it will now be fully electric.

“Our Council was the first authority to order these innovative vehicles from Ford’s production line which now sets a benchmark for others to follow,” said Cllr Bryan Deakin, Falkirk Council’s portfolio holder for climate change. “As these electric vehicles begin circulation, our community takes another decisive step towards a cleaner, greener future.”

Both van types are based on the E-Transit platform, which comes with two battery pack sizes of 115kW and 180kW. The standard range E-Transit can handle a max payload of 1.7 tonnes with a range of up to 339km, while the extended range model has a max range of 400km and a max payload of roughly 1.5 tonnes.

Falkirk Council has not confirmed whether it will use the standard range batteries or the extended range batteries. However, Ford states that the standard range model is for heavier cargo, multi-drop routes while the extended range battery is for lower payload, longer-range trips. Given the localised nature of the work conducted by the council, it is likely that they are using the standard range models.

falkirk.gov.uk, ford.co.uk