Econ Engineering’s fully electric-powered gritter has secured a landmark contract with UK highways specialist Ringway.
Ripon engineering firm announce deal for world's first ever fully electric gritter
Econ Engineering’s fully electric-powered gritter has secured a landmark contract with UK highways specialist Ringway.
The first ever completely electric vehicle of its kind on the market utilises the very latest in sustainable technology without diminishing performance, helping customers cut their emissions footprint.
The E-QCB (Electric Quick Change Body) enables the vehicle’s bodywork to be switched between gritter, tipper or caged body modes, with easy transformation taking no longer than 15 minutes.
Ringway, responsible for looking after more than 50,000kms of the UKs highways network, has a long-term strategic fleet partnership with Econ and is the first contractor to sign up to a deal for the E-QCB.
Jonathan Lupton, Managing Director at Econ Engineering, said:
[caption id="attachment_97254" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The E-QCB (Electric Quick Change Body) gritter.[/caption] With more than 300 local authorities having declared a climate emergency, the Government has already issued guidance on how those councils, and other UK businesses, should be looking to switch their fleets to zero emissions vehicles ahead of 2035.“We have spent a long time developing the E-QCB, undertaking comprehensive redesigns and trials across the UK, to ensure that we can offer a fully electric solution for our customers that can be used 52 weeks a year.
“We are delighted to extend what is already a strong relationship with Ringway by adding the E-QCB to its fleet. We are confident the vehicle will continue to impress and that its benefits will soon result in more deals of this kind.”
The E-QCB 19-tonne Volvo FE Electric, comes with a range of demountable body options including gritter, tipper & caged body, which can be switched within just 15 minutes.
Designed with versatility in mind, the vehicle can be fully charged in less than two hours (subject to infrastructure), runs near-silent with a range of up to 170 miles (depending on load and road conditions), and with no exhaust gases produced, can make deliveries in zero emission zones.
Dave Olley, Operations Manager at Ringway said:
“Ringway Hertfordshire is committed to delivering a sustainable service. Working with Econ Engineering we trialled the fully electric E-QCB multi-purpose vehicle and are now looking forward to adding it to our fleet and putting it to use on the UK’s road network.”
Christian Coolsaet, Managing Director of Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland, said:
Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.“Every part of the transport sector needs to have its sights set on achieving net zero, and gritting and snowploughing is no exception.
"The team at Econ has developed an exceptional new product with our FE Electric chassis at its heart; this is going to allow gritter fleets to reap the benefits of operating cleaner, quieter and more efficient trucks.”
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