Grundon Waste Management has added four electric Daf trucks to its fleet, the company’s largest electric truck order to date. The trucks, which feature bespoke bodywork from Dennis Eagle, are XD FAN 270 Electric 6×2 rear steer rigid chassis with specialist trade waste collection bodies.
The new additions bring the total number of electric trade waste vehicles in the fleet to 10, along with one other electric OEM tractor unit. The company’s overall fleet comprises more than 350 vehicles.
Grundon has been operating five repowered electric vehicles since 2023, and the latest Daf order is said to have been partly motivated by the opportunity to gain five-star Direct Vision Standard ratings on some applications.
The trucks carry 420kWh of stored energy, which equates to around 370kWh useable, giving a range of more than 200 miles on a full charge.
According to the report, the company is soon set to receive five more Daf electric trucks, which will run with a slightly smaller battery pack. These new trucks will join the existing fleet, further expanding Grundon’s electric vehicle capabilities.
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The trucks can be recharged at the Colnbrook site using Grundon’s own power supply. The company generates its own power by recovering energy from non-recyclable waste and turning it into electricity to power the trucks.
The truck charging site is located just 500 metres from the waste-to-energy plant and is connected via an existing 6MW electrical cable. This setup allows them to charge their vehicles efficiently.
Stephen Townsend, group fleet engineer at Grundon Waste Management, said: “We started our EV journey when we had some of our existing five-star chassis repowered because the OEMs didn’t seem to be ready and we always like to be in front of the curve when it comes to technology and compliance.”
He also mentioned that the company invested over £700,000 to set up a suitable infrastructure for charging vehicles and supplying power to their processing facilities. This investment has enabled Grundon to secure the future of its waste processing and EV operation.
