Powerday, Grundon and Keenan put electric HGVs to work in waste

Refuse and recycling operators are pressing ahead with heavy-duty electric trucks. Powerday has taken two electric Volvo FM Low Entry hookloaders with Boughton bodywork, each carrying 360 kWh across four traction batteries and expected to cover up to 30,000km a year off existing 150kW DC chargers at Willesden Junction.

Grundon Waste Management has gone further, adding four DAF XD FAN 270 Electric 6x2 rigids with Dennis Eagle bodywork - its largest battery-electric order yet - taking its electric trade waste fleet, including several repowered trucks, to ten vehicles. Each carries 420kWh stored energy (about 370kWh useable) for a range in excess of 200 miles on a full charge, running from its Colnbrook site near Slough. Meanwhile Keenan Recycling, part of Biffa, has put a 20-tonne Renault Trucks D18 Wide food waste collection vehicle into service across Glasgow and the Central Belt, with an estimated 6.5-tonne payload and a real-world range of just under 180km.

Why this matters: These are duty cycles with fixed depots, predictable routes and daily return-to-base charging - exactly the profile that makes electric HGVs stack up before range anxiety becomes a problem elsewhere. Powerday's five-year Volvo Gold contract with a battery guarantee is worth studying if you're negotiating your own R&M terms for electric trucks.