In what may well be a world first, Kirklees Council was showing off its shiny new ‘leccy Ford Transit rubbish collection vehicle - possibly the world’s first van powered by the garbage it picks up.
The van - actually a Smith Edison-modified 3.5-tonne Transit with a 40kWh lithium-ion battery pack, a top speed of 50mph, an effective range of 100 miles and a 6-8 hour charge time – will glide around central Huddersfield collecting rubbish from 25 newly installed “split bins” and take said trash to the Energy from Waste (EfW) power station-cum-recycling centre just down the road. There, the rubbish will be burnt to generate electricity that will be used to charge the van for the next days collection runs.
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