Dennis Eagle has launched a new model of its all-electric eCollect refuse collection vehicle to meet the urgent demand for a small zero-emissions RCV suited to collection rounds in urban areas.
The new 18 tonne 4×2 eCollect model can work in city areas with restricted access, often in locations suffering from poor air quality.
It is a smaller version of the original 6×2 launched in 2020 but it has a 10m3 body capable of carrying 4.8 tonnes – the same as its diesel equivalent.
The vehicle is fitted with three battery packs instead of five, which are carefully balanced to optimise its load, with one centre pack and one pack on each side.
Together, they provide it with 180kWh of power, comfortably enough for a full day’s work on a typical double-shift round. It still has the same 200kW electric drive as the original eCollect.
However, with only three battery packs, it is considerably quicker to charge, taking only 3.5 hours to reach 100% after starting from about 15% residual charge.
The first 4×2 eCollect has been trialled in Kensington and Chelsea, where it was successfully put to work on a variety of rounds earlier this spring.
Lee Rowland, Dennis Eagle’s Sales and Marketing Manager said, “The new 4×2 eCollect is firmly based on the original 6×2. It’s a similar vehicle with a smaller footprint – very little has changed apart from size.
“But it is a very significant development for our customers. We chose the next eCollect model to be the 4×2 because many of the places a vehicle of this size will be used have air quality issues which are being treated as a priority by our customers.
“It is already clear we have another operationally-efficient and cost-effective eRCV in our range.”
