Nottingham City Council has ordered seven fully electric eSwingo compact sweepers from Aebi Schmidt as it works towards its target of becoming the UK’s first carbon-neutral city.
Nottingham City Council has set a deadline of 2028 to achieve its net zero goal and sees the seven all-electric eSwingos as an integral part of its carbon-free street cleansing plans.
The new eSwingos, Aebi Schmidt’s most significant electric sweeper order to date, join a compact sweeper fleet of 21 machines, eight of which are already electric powered, and form part of the Council’s multi-purpose fleet of 475 vehicles – cars, vans, HGVs and municipal vehicles – over half of which are currently electric.
The eSwingos replace seven diesel-powered compact sweepers as the Council continues to phase out diesel across its entire fleet in line with its green target ambitions.
The first model arrived last week, with the remainder being phased in over the rest of the summer, and they will operate from the Council’s Eastcroft depot in the city centre, where 14 new 22kw charge points are in the process of being installed.
As part of a tender process, the Council evaluated different electric models from several sweeper manufacturers over two days, with the views of driver/operators and those of technical and workshop staff.
Once Nottingham CC totalled up all the final marks, the eSwingo had come out on top, with favourable views from the drivers on its ride, handling and suction power. At the same time, the technical staff rated the ease of maintenance and quality of the build.
Andrew Smith, Assistant Fleet Manager, Parking, Fleet and Transport Operations (Fleet Services), led the procurement process and explained the thinking behind the decision to go for electric operation.
‘We want to be the first city in the UK to be carbon neutral, but if you want the local businesses and residents to come on that journey with you, you have to walk the walk.
‘That’s why we aim to be 100% electric across our fleet by 2028. We began our electric journey in 2016 and have already made significant progress in this regard, as we aim to be entirely carbon-neutral in six years.
‘The first electric sweepers joined our fleet in 2019, and they have performed even better than expected – electric is the ideal power train for sweepers as it’s so quiet and has zero tailpipe emissions,’ he said.
‘The seven new eSwingos will be used in heavy footfall areas in the city centre, along with residential areas and housing estates further out. We plan to operate them on double shifts between 4.30 am and midnight, the machines will be able to charge during break times and shift change-overs and at the end of the day’s work ready for the next day’s schedule,’ he added.
Andy Odger, area sales manager at Aebi Schmidt, who manages the relationship with Nottingham City Council, said: ‘Nottingham City Council is to be applauded on the steps it has taken towards achieving an-all electric fleet and carbon neutrality by 2028.
‘The eSwingo can play a crucial role here as it offers both local authorities and private service contractors the cleanest possible emissions and provides sustainable, cutting-edge technology and an all-inclusive package covering service, maintenance and performance needs.
‘We are confident it will fit well within the Nottingham electric sweeper fleet and form a mainstay of the city sweeping operations for years to come.’
