Drive for greener fleet continues with completion of electrification works

For the past three years, major works have been taking place at the council’s Waste and Recycling Centre to install hundreds of new electric vehicle chargers and equipment.   

The completion of the £5.7 million project, which has been part-funded by the Mayor of London, means that the council now has the capability to convert its entire fleet of vehicles – from small cars right the way up to 26-tonne refuse collection vehicles – to electric in the coming years.   

So far, the council has already introduced 80 “full battery” electric vehicles to its fleet - including cage tippers and electric minibuses. These make a significantly lower contribution to climate change than diesel vehicles and have so far saved more than 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually – enough to power 66 homes every year.   

With the works at the Waste and Recycling Centre now complete, the council is now working to introduce more electric vehicles to its fleet, and to reduce the overall size of the fleet – with the aim of only using electric vehicles by the year 2030. If achieved, this would save more than 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which would be enough to power 660 homes annually.   

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality, and Transport, said: “Here in Islington, we’re determined to create a greener, more equal future, where all can share in the benefits of tackling climate change.   

“Through our work to electrify Islington’s vehicles, we’re lowering the impact of our fleet on climate change, and we’re ensuring that local people see quieter, less-polluting vehicles driving down their streets.   

“In doing so, we can help improve air quality across the borough, which in turn delivers a huge range of health and wellbeing benefits including a lower risk of developing respiratory illness. Electric vehicles are also cheaper to run than diesel-alternatives, which is especially important at a time when council budgets are coming under increasing pressure.  

“The completion of the electrification work at the Waste and Recycling Centre is another major milestone in our efforts to create a more environmentally-friendly fleet.”  

This upgrade was made possible after the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced the project had been awarded £1.5 million through the Good Growth Fund, with Islington Council matching this by providing £1.5m in funding.   

The council has since committed a further £2.7m to the project, taking the total cost to £5.7million. The electric vehicle charging units has been installed by JoJu Solar.   

London’s Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, said: “The Mayor and I are proud to support Islington council as they lead the way on EV charging, reducing their fleet’s contribution to climate change and the air pollution breathed by the borough’s residents.

"This project demonstrates that, with commitment and vision, it’s possible to convert even larger and more specialist vehicles to electric and to improve the air Londoners breathe, as we work to build a greener city for everyone.”