Islington Council has taken on an all-electric eSwingo compact sweeper from Aebi Schmidt for its growing electric fleet.
The Council declared a climate emergency in June 2019, recognising the need to reduce carbon emissions and a pledge was made to work towards being a net zero borough by 2030.
The resulting strategy, Vision 2030, provided in detail how the Council would achieve its objective with five main priorities: buildings, transport, sustainable and affordable energy supply, green economy and planning, and natural environment and waste, with action plans for each priority area.
Chris Demetriou, Head of Corporate Fleet, Transport & Accessible Community Transport, Islington Council, said the Authority now operates over 80 full battery electric vehicles out of a fleet of around 530.
The Council operates around 50 cars, 240 light commercial vehicles, 45 buses, and 20 minibuses, with the remainder of heavy commercial and specialist vehicles, such as refuse trucks and sweepers.
‘We have around 20 sweepers on the fleet of various sizes and have now added three different electric sweepers for appraisal purposes before making a final decision on which model to move forward with in future,’ he said.
‘Our drivers love the eSwingo, and feedback has been very positive, with favourable views on how easy it is to operate, how quiet it is and how powerful the suction power is. They find it easy to manoeuvre. By switching to electric power, there has been no discernible loss of payload.
‘We charge the eSwingo overnight at our central depot on one of our 7kWh chargers, and it is then ready for a six-hour shift without any problems the next day. It has been very impressive,’ he said.
John Saint, Head of Sales at Aebi Schmidt, said: ‘Islington Council has put clear plans to achieve Net Zero carbon by 2023 with transport being one of five focus areas.
‘The eSwingo can play a crucial role here as it offers local authorities the cleanest possible emissions, noiseless operation with sustainable, cutting-edge technology and an all-inclusive package covering service, maintenance and performance needs.
‘We are confident that it will fit well within the Islington electric sweeper fleet and form a mainstay of sweeping operations, hopefully for years to come.
‘We are seeing increased demand from local authorities for the eSwingo and a growing order bank as councils across the country underline their carbon-free commitments for the future.
‘With excellent sweeping power but with a near-silent electric drive, it delivers noiseless, carbon-free sweeping. As a result, it can be deployed at night or in the early morning hours in built-up areas without disturbing the residents, ideal for local authorities operating in tight, urban locations,’ he concluded.
