Now, Econ Engineering has secured landmark contract with UK highways specialist Ringway signing up to take delivery of the revolutionary E-QCB (Electric Quick Change Body).
The first ever completely electric vehicle of its kind on the market promises the very latest in sustainable technology without diminishing performance, helping customers cut their emissions footprint.
As the UK’s leading manufacturer of winter maintenance and highways vehicles, Econ Engineering supplies gritters, hot boxes and tippers to hundreds of local councils and contractors, spanning the length and breadth of the UK.
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The E-QCB enables the vehicle’s bodywork to be switched between gritter, tipper or caged body modes, with easy transformation taking no longer than 15 minutes.
With more than 300 local authorities, including North Yorkshire and City of York Councils, having declared a climate emergency, the Government has already issued guidance on how those councils, and other UK businesses, should be looking to switch their fleets to zero emissions vehicles ahead of 2035.
Ringway, responsible for looking after more than 50,000kms of the UKs highways network, has a long-term strategic fleet partnership with Econ and is the first contractor to sign up to a deal for the E-QCB.
Both sustainable and practical, the E-QCB 19-tonne Volvo FE Electric, comes with a range of demountable body options including gritter, tipper & caged body, which can be switched within just 15 minutes.
The vehicle can be fully-charged in less than 2 hours and has a range of up to 170 miles. It has been tested in snowy Yorkshire, gaining praised and endorsements whilst gritting rural roues.
Dave Olley, operations manager at Ringway said: “Working with Econ Engineering we trialled the fully electric E-QCB multi-purpose vehicle and are now looking forward to adding it to our fleet and putting it to use on the UK’s road network.”
Jonathan Lupton, Managing Director at Econ Engineering, said: “We have spent a long time developing the E-QCB, undertaking comprehensive redesigns and trials across the UK, to ensure that we can offer a fully electric solution for our customers that can be used 52 weeks a year.
“We are delighted to extend what is already a strong relationship with Ringway by adding the E-QCB to its fleet. We are confident the vehicle will continue to impress and that its benefits will soon result in more deals of this kind.”
North Yorkshire Council commented: “The E-QCB was tested to the limit on a cold, snowy day at Sutton Bank which has a hill gradient of 1 in 4, and includes plenty of tight bends. The vehicle undertook two 40-mile gritting runs and an NYC spokesperson said: “The vehicle impressed us especially coping with the hills and had excellent range for an electric vehicle.”
