Why net zero waste matters
Refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) follow predictable urban routes, return to base daily, and already operate in clean air zones where public visibility matters. Switching to electric delivers immediate benefits: lower emissions, quieter streets, reduced fuel and maintenance costs, and clear progress toward net zero targets.
Deliver on public commitments
Support climate emergency declarations and net zero targets with a visible shift to cleaner streets, addressing one of your largest sources of emissions.
Improve local
air quality
Zero-emission RCVs cut pollution and noise in residential areas, directly benefiting public health and quality of life while demonstrating clear action to residents.
Reduce lifetime
operating costs
Electric RCVs reduce fuel and maintenance costs – helping councils deliver better value to taxpayers over time.
Time to learn is
running out
Most fleets are now one replacement cycle away from 2030 targets, acting now is essential to get on the learning curve, and avoid last-minute costs and disruption.
Win and retain competitive contracts
More tenders now specify or reward low-emission fleets. Electrification strengthens bids, protects renewals, and future-proofs contract eligibility.
Lower total cost of ownership
Electric RCVs reduce fuel and maintenance costs across the vehicle lifecycle, improving margins on long-term, fixed-price contracts.
Scale without operational risk
Infrastructure designed to grow with fleet expansion and new contracts — without disruption, rework, or lost availability.
Visible investment
Deliver quieter, zero-emission collections, enhancing reputation with clients, councils, and communities.
We know it's hard to get started
The vehicles, technology and operational models exist, and leading fleets are starting to prove what’s possible. But scaling this transition will take the right support. Wide scale electrification is held back by cost, funding and planning complexities. We are working to help the industry overcome these challenges, and get started on the route to net zero waste.
Cost Barriers
Costs for vehicles and infrastructure can feel high, especially when combined with depot or power upgrades to unlock electrification.
Fragmented Funding
Waste fleets don’t have access to dedicated funding – leaders are combining funding from other sources to unlock the transition.
Complex Planning
Commercial models in waste are diverse, with mixed ownership models, varying contract lengths and power constraints at depots.
Scalable Models
Leading fleets are piloting, the sector needs examples of successful first deliveries and proven, full-scale transitions.
Getting started: Your plan for progress
No two fleets are the same – that’s why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work – decisions need to be data-led.
Your plan for progress
Whether you’re a local authority or a private operator, we bring proven experience helping fleets move from ambition to action. VEV is already supporting leading waste operators and local authorities giving you the confidence to start and the tools to scale.
Plan your first wave
Helping you model the path to zero emissions and build the investment case, backed by flexible financing and solutions that scale with your fleet.
Prove it with a pilot
Run a managed pilot. Get real data. Learn from operations, driver feedback and depot staff. Build momentum internally while answering the questions that unlock investment and board-level buy-in.
Deliver and learn
Once your first wave is proven, it’s time to move into delivery—with a focus on scaling safely, avoiding stranded investment, and positioning for future funding.
Plan your first wave
We dive deep into your vehicle, route, and energy data to build a bespoke electrification strategy, modelling your daily operation, simulating it as if it was electric and finding the right vehicles, routes and sites to electrify.
Our advanced analysis cuts through complexity, giving you clear, actionable insights to reduce costs, avoid disruption, and meet your goals.
Clarity before commitment
- A clear plan of which vehicles and sites to electrify first
- A phased roadmap to full fleet electrification
- A validated TCO forecast and funding case
- A future-proof infrastructure strategy
- Internal alignment from finance to operations
50
%
Of many fleets can electrify immediately with no operational change.
10
Reduction in unexpected downtime was achieved through electrification.
25000
tCO₂ Saved by VEV iQ by the end of December 2025
VEV’s solutions can help reduce your carbon footprint
Prove it with a pilot
There’s always a gap between planning and delivery. Our managed trial service supports the first step of your journey – proving out your plan, supporting the team and managing any speed bumps along the way. We use insights, learnings and feedback from the pilot to adapt and de-risk your rollout plan so you can safely accelerate to scale.
What it means
- Two week eRCV trial live in your operations
- Hands-on support from VEV team and partners
- Direct engagement with drivers, operations and customers
- Comprehensive end-of-pilot report
- Validated electrification roadmap and business case
Deliver and learn
Complex sites. Live operations. Zero compromise on quality.
Delivering your first wave of electric RCVs isn’t just a build project, it’s a platform for organisational learning, a proof point for funders, and a foundation to scale your net zero transition.
We focus on delivering the right infrastructure, on live operational sites, under tight timelines, with no room for error. You can’t afford missed collections or unreliable assets and neither can we.
We’re trusted by some of the largest fleet owners, local authorities and emergency services to deliver their transitions.
Key benefits
- End-to-end delivery, managed by experts
- Built around your operation
- High-quality, future-ready builds
- Precision commissioning and system testing
- Hands-on until you’re happy
Piloting eRCVs in Hampshire Councils
VEV provided the charging infrastructure and software management platform, VEV IQ, in a pilot of electric refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) with public service provider, Serco, and RVS, the independent refuse vehicle solution provider. VEV IQ monitored multiple parameters throughout the pilot to prove the operational feasibility and establish the business case for Serco to electrify refuse and recycling collection vehicles.
- Electric refuse collection vehicles completed routes successfully during the pilot.
- Drivers quickly adapted to eRCVs and preferred them to diesel vehicles.
- Carbon and fuel savings were demonstrated through real-world operations.
- The pilot proved the operational and financial case for electric waste fleets.
8 weeks
Pilot trial of electric refuse collection vehicles across two Hampshire depots
69 rounds
Completed successfully during real-world waste collection operations
8,898 kg CO₂
Tailpipe emissions removed during the pilot programme
Accelerate your net zero plans
Waste and resource management sits at the heart of local communities. Refuse vehicles travel every street, every week, making the sector one of the most visible public services councils deliver. As fleets move toward Net Zero, electrifying these vehicles presents a major opportunity to deliver better local air quality, quieter streets and cleaner communities.
With the right planning, the sector can unlock significant benefits:
- Accelerate the transition to zero-emission refuse fleets
- Modernise depots and supporting infrastructure
- Establish clear frameworks for successful fleet rollout
- Support local authorities in delivering Net Zero commitments
The key is knowing where to begin and how to scale confidently, download our guide: ‘The Five Steps to Electrifying Your RCV Fleet’ to get started.
Our industry expertise
Supporting net zero transport across fleets and mission-critical infrastructure.
VEV IQ
VEV IQ is our intelligent fleet and energy management platform, giving you live visibility, automated charging control and cost optimisation across every depot.
Energy Supply
We design and deliver the power infrastructure behind electrification, aligning grid capacity, on-site generation and future demand to keep your transition on track.
Design & Build
End-to-end electrification delivery — from detailed design and grid coordination to build, commissioning and full system integration.
Hypercare & Support
We understand complex charging environments, from public and semi-public networks to ports and airports, with integrated infrastructure, control platforms and operational resilience.
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