Electric bin lorries launched in Exeter

Councillors Duncan Wood and Ruth Williams with an electric bin lorry

Electric bin lorries have been introduced on the streets of Exeter.

Exeter City Council said three lorries powered by electricity were now fully operational.

The vehicles are charged up with renewable electricity captured at the council's solar farm and battery storage facility at Marsh Barton.

The council said it hoped to make the city's entire fleet of refuse trucks all powered by electricity in the future.

Trials carried out in 2021 showed the electric vehicles were able to carry out a day's collections on a single charge.

Ruth Williams, lead councillor for recycling, said: "We are planning to get more, but we're well on the way now - and they are absolutely fantastic.

"They are very quiet compared to the diesel ones. They're much cleaner and we're not pumping out all the CO2 from diesel, so it's a great day for Exeter to see these vehicles in service."

Duncan Wood, lead councillor for climate change, said each truck ran its engine "almost constantly from the moment they go out to when they get back to the depot".

He said: "That's seven to eight hours of emissions from a truck, collecting around nine tonnes of rubbish, being moved around by diesel engines throughout our city - that's what's going to be saved by using these electric vehicles."