16 of us donned our high-vis jackets and protective goggles and set off with our guides in two groups to explore the Dennis Eagle industrial site in the Heathcote Industrial Estate. We were there to learn about in particular the electric refuse collection vehicles (eRCVs) for which they have become justly famous. These behemoths of the waste collection galaxy are impressive indeed! They are absolutely state of the art and are being snapped up by public and private sector organisations all around the country. Dennis Eagle also sell into the Netherlands, Belgium and a few other EU countries; and are now eating into the US and Canada markets. We asked about the cost of these vehicles. Typically they go for about £450,000 - compared with £230,000 for a diesel vehicle. But the savings on the electric vehicle are considerable, making the payback period just 7 or 8 years. And of course there are many other environmental benefits, including noise reduction. We also asked whether they were developing hydrogen powered vehicles. Dennis Eagle are not convinced. They are watching what others are doing, but they see that the costs are much, much higher. And there are serious supply chain challenges. So they think this is an unlikely direction for them to take in the foreseeable future. The site is amazingly extensive and we were well impressed with all that is being done there in Heathcote. Dennis Eagle is a company we can be very proud to have as a local one!
MIRTH 