The City of Stirling has celebrated the arrival of its first electric-powered (EV) waste truck, as part of an ongoing commitment to emissions reduction and sustainable vehicle operations.
The fully-battery EV 8.5t SEA 300-85 truck is currently allocated to the City’s waste services and will be used for the collection of white goods and e-waste, returning to the City’s Recycling Centre Balcatta to recharge.
It is expected the use of the electric-powered truck will save 6,200L of fuel and 7.1t of CO2 emissions annually – stretching to 42.6t saved over the vehicle’s six-year life.
The City of Stirling’s Sustainable Energy Action Plan 2020 – 2030 (SEAP) is the plan underpinning this purchase. The plan maps out how the City will reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – by first achieving 100 per cent of its electricity from renewables and 70 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 – and a key part of this plan is to transition the City’s fleet to EV and power them with renewable energy.
City of Stirling Mayor, Mark Irwin, said the volume of emissions that could be saved by a single truck was significant and he was looking forward to the growth of the City’s EV fleet.
“In October 2022, the City received our first four electric vehicles and being able to use one of these vehicles for city business has given me first-hand experience of what it’s like for EV users in the City of Stirling, such as the benefits as well as the areas that could be improved,” Mayor Irwin said.
“I am delighted with the huge strides the City has made with our fleet of cars with more than 85 per cent now hybrids, however, we have been closely monitoring the development and viability of EVs – and especially trucks – as the ultimate goal, given how much our emissions relate to our vehicles.”
The purchase of the EV truck was part of the City’s 2022/23 fleet replacement program and replaces an Isuzu FVR-260 Tray-top Whitegoods Truck that has reached the end of its operational life.
The City of Stirling is confident in achieving its SEAP goals, as it was developed after a long history of carbon reduction actions by the City and with incredibly high support from the local community.
In a survey of local residents:
- 91 per cent agreed the City should set a renewable energy target, and 92 per cent supported the proposed 100 per cent renewable electricity target by 2030
- 94 per cent agreed the City should set a carbon emissions reduction target, and 81 per cent supported the proposed 70 per cent carbon emissions reduction target by 2030
In the 2021/22 financial year’s budget the City surged the previous years’ investment with a $600,000 investment in additional solar photovoltaic (PV) panel installations to ensure the solar program is complete by 2030.
This Solar Escalation Program is projected to lead to a $3.3 million saving in energy costs to the City and ratepayers by 2040, compared to business as usual.
Together with the landmark three-year renewable electricity Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) the City signed in December 2021, this provides the basis for the City’s electricity needs to ensure that the EV fleet is powered by renewables.
