Electric vans for Central Bedfordshire Council’s highways inspectors

Central Bedfordshire Council has taken on seven new Nissan E NV200 Electric Tekna vans, which will be used by its highways inspectors, replacing diesel vans. 

The vans, which produce no emissions, have a 40kWh battery which gives a range of up to 187 miles on a single charge. This will help to reduce the council’s carbon footprint, as the officers drive a significant number of miles each year in order to keep the roads across Central Bedfordshire safe for all users.

Inspectors will be using the vehicles to collect data on the condition of road surfaces, potholes, drainage, sign visibility and the extent of hedgerow growth, using Vaisala technology. The data recording means roads infrastructure can be monitored, problems spotted earlier, and maintenance work carried out sooner.

The vehicles will also be used to inspect traffic management sites and for supervision of third parties (e.g. gas, water, electricity) when they are working on the public highway.

Councillor Steven Dixon, our Executive Member for Transformation and External Relations, said: “These are just the first electrical vehicles we have purchased as a council and we are investigating ways to roll this out further.

“We are absolutely committed to becoming more sustainable as an organisation and this latest initiative to replace some of our fleet with electric alternatives is a great example of how we are reducing our carbon footprint, making long-term savings on fuel and improving air quality at the same time.”