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East Devon District Council is working to reduce its carbon emissions year on year, to become carbon neutral by 2040. The StreetScene team at the Council has the largest fleet of electric vans which are used daily to keep East Devon’s streets, parks and public areas clean and well-maintained.
East Devon became one of the first councils in the country to trial specially modified electric vans in its StreetScene fleet, complete with a custom-made caged tipping body. To power this transition to greener cleaning, it chose fleet EV charging expert Mer, to install and manage reliable charge points for its electric vehicles, which make up 38% of the council’s fleet currently; the Council aims to make 45% of its fleet electric by the end of 2024.
“We needed good charging capabilities that were future-proofed, with the ability to expand as we grow our electric fleet. It was also important to us to have a back-office system that gave us analytics across our depots, and Mer could support us with all of this.” – Operations Manager, East Devon District Council
Following a comprehensive site survey, Mer installed eight 7kW dual smart charge points at depots in Exmouth and Sidmouth, which East Devon Council’s electric vehicles charge overnight before heading out each day. Load balancing technology divides the available power between the vehicles, with a back-office software solution providing data on usage.
“Our next step was to use the data from the back office to look at our vehicle usage and how much carbon we have offset by going electric. This helped us to plan to expand our electric fleet even more. The process has been very straightforward from Mer and there was always support at the end of the phone when we’ve needed it.”
Three additional 7kW dual charge points were installed at East Devon District Council’s head office in Honiton for staff and visitors, helping other teams across the council to make the move to electric vehicles as well. With the successful initial roll out of Mer chargers, the Council are looking to expand the availability of EV charging infrastructure in the near future, with an assessment of the site to be carried out shortly.
What’s next for East Devon District Council?
The Council is expanding its charge point network at sites including Seafield Gardens in Seaton, Millwey Rise Workshops in Axminster, and Phear Park in Exmouth, to support the teams operating in what is a predominantly rural district.
“Having worked in the commercial vehicle fleet sector for a long time, it was inspiring to witness this innovative adaptation to an already popular EV. The team at East Devon District Council made sure there was a vehicle fit for purpose, accelerating their fleet transition and keeping them on track to meet their objectives. Mer is delighted to work with such a forward-thinking team, and can’t wait to see other councils following suit,” said Natasha Fry, Head of Sales – Fleet and Workplace Charging at Mer UK.
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