Wrexham Council remains heavily reliant on diesel vehicles despite decarbonisation efforts

Wrexham Council remains heavily reliant on diesel to fuel its vehicles, despite its decarbonisation efforts.

Figures published by the local authority in a report show 87.86% (152) of its 173 vehicles are run on diesel.

It compares to just 18 powered by electric and three by petrol, despite the council declaring a climate and ecological emergency in September 2019.

A decarbonisation plan was drawn up by the council to address the issue in May 2021.

A report examining the plan’s progress is due to go before the authority’s homes and environment scrutiny committee this week.

It states: “The vast majority of the council fleet is currently powered by internal combustion engine (ICE). The majority of these are powered using diesel fuel.

“The transition from ICE to ultra low emissions vehicles (ULEV) is considered a key plank of global, national and local decarbonisation.

“The council’s decarbonisation plan contains actions to review all council vehicles to identify opportunities for efficient change to ULEV and developing a comprehensive plan for converting large vehicles.

“At present there are two ULEV refuse vehicles being trialled. One of these vehicles is a conversion of a previous ICE vehicle to operate as a ULEV.

“In use the performance of the retrofit refuse vehicle has not been considered fully successful.”

The council’s Abbey Road depot currently has 16 vehicle charging points, with plans for a further eight in the future.

The types of chargers being considered are fast chargers, with a need identified to upgrade the existing charging infrastructure in due course.

Charging facilities could also be installed at other council depots.

The report acknowledges some local authorities are more advanced than Wrexham regarding the switch to ULEV.

However, the report states: “This is mainly driven by them having a smaller geographic area, which reduces the requirement for vehicle range.

“There is a need to carefully consider the role of the vehicle and the suitability of the ULEV version before any decision is made to purchase/lease.

“As existing vehicles reach the end of their lifespan there will be the opportunity to replace them.

“Electric “vehicles will be considered, if fit for purpose, and a budget of around £800,000 for retrofitting is available this year.”

Expressions of interest have been sought from companies to adopt the area’s existing charging infrastructure, as well as maintain and expand Wrexham’s charging network.

The council said a number of responses have been received which will be evaluated at a later date.

If approved, the approach would see the risks associated with the future provision of chargers transferred to the provider.

The authority is also considering trialling hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) as a replacement for diesel, but the report notes the current costs of such fuel are high.

It states: “The use of synthetic fuels is a possible alternative to the use of diesel for ICE.

“The council have trialled the use of HVO on fleet vehicles on this basis.

“HVO is a fossil-free paraffinic diesel, meaning it can be used as a direct replacement for mineral diesel fuel.

“Made from certified waste materials, including waste vegetable oils and fats, HVO therefore supports the circular economy and helps to reduce net CO2 greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%.

“Another major benefits of HVO is that it does not require any modification to the vehicle using it.”

The report adds: “There are a number of current issues that do impinge on the wide scale adoption of HVO to fuel the council’s fleet. It is more expensive to purchase, at around 48p per litre more than diesel.

“There are also issues around the widespread availability and supply of the fuel. It is expected that respective cost, in relation to diesel, will fall as more of the fuel is produced resulting in its wider availability.”

The report will be considered by members of the homes and environment scrutiny committee on Wednesday 13 December at 2pm.