AccordMP invests in electric fleet

AccordMP claims that it is the first firm to use zero-emission electric vehicles on a highways maintenance contract in the UK.

The firm has invested at least £250,000 in acquiring a fleet of 10 battery-powered vehicles. These will work on light to medium highway and footpath maintenance and emergency repair response from 1 May on the group's £40m annual road maintenance and improvement contract for Transport for London.

The 98% recyclable, bespoke-design vehicles are manufactured by Coventry-based Modec. They can carry 2t payload at a maximum speed of 80km/h for more than 160km.

Dave Wright, deputy managing director and sustainability director of AccordMP, told CJ: "They are clean, virtually silent in operation and very agile and easy to manoeuvre."

He said that there is an extra initial capital cost compared with 'normal' vehicles, but this is more than compensated for by lower running costs - "they're not subject to fuel duty at the moment".

He explained that the group is trying to become carbon-neutral and will use the vehicles on other future contract wins where appropriate.

"I'm more than confident that these are the future," he added. "Now we've started this, we're not going to stop."