Dawsongroup emc has taken delivery of seven electric tankers as part of an order for more than 100 new Volvo trucks this year.
Leading the order are four Volvo FMX Electric 6×2 vacuum tankers, and three Volvo FE Electric 4×2 medium volume combinations (MVCs) for gully, mainline sewerage and drain work – all with bodywork from Whale Tankers.
The order includes more than 90 diesel models with a mix of sweeper, hotbox, skip loader, hook loader, MVC, vacuum tanker and Kilo-Whale bodywork at various weights and configurations.
They will join the company’s fleet of about 1,600 commercial vehicles which operate on contract hire for the environmental, municipal and civil sectors.
Each of the new vehicles is suited to local and regional work where the trucks can be charged back at base using either an overnight AC charger, or a DC fast-charger – which can restore the batteries to full capacity in under two-and-a-half-hours.
The FMX Electrics have each been specified with the maximum of six batteries, ensuring 540 kWh of battery capacity, with a gearbox-driven PTO to power equipment on the vacuum tanks.
To maximise payload, the smaller Volvo FE Electric MVCs benefit from three batteries, giving 270 kWh of capacity, and with ancillary equipment running off an ePTO.
Paul Beddows, Director of Sales at Dawsongroup emc, said: “Most operate on contracts covering a specific area, where they don’t need to cover huge distances every day – meaning the range is more than sufficient in many cases, even when factoring in the energy required for the various pumping systems.”
