As the Government rebate for personal-use electric vehicles gains momentum, it’s a good time to reflect on Civic Waste’s fleet of environmentally friendly trucks and vans, and our plans for the future when it comes to clean vehicles.
Civic Waste purchased its first EV more than 13 years ago. At the time, it was an unusual move for a commercial business to make, but for us, it was just the beginning of a mandate to be gentler on the environment in our work. Since then, the 100% EV fleet has expanded to include 12 EV vans and cars, two trucks and three bikes. Some highlights have included:
- The first EV road-going sweeper in the Southern Hemisphere in 2013.
- The country’s first EV street and bin washing truck in 2020.
- Hamilton’s first electric rubbish truck.
- Three EV motorbikes that manage urban litter.
Each of these innovations reduces our impact on the environment, whether that be carbon emissions, noise or water usage. The new Clean Car Discount is similar in that it will reduce CO2 emissions of light vehicles in New Zealand by making it more affordable for Kiwis to buy low CO2 emission cars. At this stage, it applies only to new and used vehicles registered in New Zealand for the first time and selling for less than $80,000 (you can read more about the initiative here and you can figure out how much you could save here). Beyond 2022, the Government plans to apply rebates and fees for imported new and used vehicles based on CO2 emission ratings. The higher the CO2 rating, the more people will pay and that sounds like a good way to encourage people to take the EV leap. We know that once you commit to environmentally friendly equipment and start to see the benefits, it’s easy to stick to it and you feel inspired to do more.
That’s why we’re looking at electrifying the diesel-powered equipment we use and exploring ways to clean with quieter equipment using less water at Civic Waste. We’ve already got deionized cleaning equipment, which lowers our water usage and we implement chemical-free cleaning procedures. We have a fleet of low-impact steam-cleaning vehicles designed to operate soundlessly at night, meaning there is zero noise pollution for residents in the cities we work in. Our future plans also include significant recycling of the road waste we collect, EV sweeping equipment, and remote work monitoring using on-board camera technology in our vehicles.
To get a quote for environmentally friendly maintenance at your site or business, get in touch.