Powerday, Grundon and Keenan prove electric HGVs work for 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 rated 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 to ten vehicles. Each carries 420kWh stored energy (370kWh useable) for a real-world range beyond 200 miles, 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 a 6.5-tonne payload and just under 180km real-world range.
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.
Primary sources
SMMT - https://smmt.co.uk/no-time-to-waste-electrifying-the-refuse-and-recycling-vehicle-sectorNamed in this story? You have a right of reply: email hello@thrivefleet.co.uk and a challenged claim will be marked under review while we check it.
