The Goupil vehicle has been purchased during a time where the Surrey-based local authority is actively seeking ways to drive forward its sustainability plans, having set an ambitious target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
The acquisition of this latest all-electric vehicle brings the Borough Council’s total EV fleet to 10.
Ideal for waste collection, grounds maintenance and site management tasks, the all-electric G4 is part of the Goupil range, which have become increasingly popular amongst local councils across the UK as they each look to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint through replacing their petrol or diesel powered site vehicles with all-electric alternatives.
Reigate & Banstead’s new Goupil G4 was acquired to operate around the Borough Council’s Redstone cemetery site, where it will be primarily used for manoeuvring grounds maintenance equipment, leaf and litter collections, as well as for transporting grave covers to grave sites.
While the Borough Council explored a number of options when sourcing a vehicle to replace its Suzuki Carry, which had been in operation for almost 20 years, the G4’s compact size, low emission offering and its ability to be configured to their specific requirements were what tipped the scales in the initial tendering process.
Built from the ground up as an all-electric vehicle, the G4 has a modular design for maximum versatility and allows for a wide configuration of options. With its large, high-visibility cab and compact size, it makes for an ideal commercial vehicle to operate safely and seamlessly.
To operate seamlessly within the tight confines of the Redstone Cemetery, the G4’s hydraulic tipping body, compact size and dropdown and detachable sides for easy loading and unloading of materials or equipment offered a fitting solution for their operational needs.
The Goupil G4 operates on a zero-emission lead acid battery and can be charged using traditional mains socket.
Anthony Hathaway, Transport Manager at Reigate & Banstead Borough Council commented: “When initially sourcing a vehicle to replace our pre-existing SuzukiCarry for our Redstone Cemetery site, we ultimately required a vehicle that offered similar functionality, but would also make a positive contribution to Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s sustainability goals.
“With the Borough Council implementing its Environmental Sustainability Strategy in 2020, which outlines an end goal of achieving carbon neutrality by the turn of the decade, as Transport Manager it is my role to actively look at ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our fleet and seek out zero emission alternatives where possible in order to reach this milestone.
“Therefore, when we came across Bradshaw and its Goupil range, we soon found that they ticked both of these boxes and more. Thanks to its compact size, generous payload, large windows and windscreen, and dropdown and detachable sides, the G4 is able to navigate around the site seamlessly and undertake any task with total efficiency.”
Anthony continued: “Bradshaw was a significant help in identifying the right vehicle for the task at hand. They visited the site directly in order to ascertain whether the Goupil G4 was an appropriate fit and gave us total confidence that the vehicle would deliver on our initial requirements – which it has done.”