GeniePoint charger

Engie has agreed a partnership with the waste management company Biffa to provide electric vehicle charging facilities across its UK sites.

Engie will install an initial 14 Alfen EV chargers (six single and eight dual socket) which will be a combination of 22kW twin socket load balanced units as well as some single and dual socket 7kW units. The chargers will all be operated and managed by Engie’s GeniePoint Platform, providing charging facilities for Biffa staff, drivers and visitors to site.

As part of Biffa’s Sustainability Strategy, Biffa already operate a fleet of over 600 electric powered Nissan NV200 vans, these primarily provide workshop support moving parts between sites, as well as supporting municipal contracts operating around the country.

In addition, all company car drivers will be encouraged to make the switch from petrol or diesel vehicles, to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The installation of new chargers will support the fuelling of all these vehicles at Biffa sites, but partnering with Engie also gives Biffa drivers access to the wider nationwide public GeniePoint Network when travelling around the country.

Biffa has also been trialling the use of electric powered Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCV). This showed an overall reduction in diesel usage of more than 9,000 litres for each vehicle over a six-month period.

Mark Robson, head of procurement at Biffa, said: “In order to meet the current and future demands for vehicle charging it was essential that Biffa found a reliable, experienced and cost-effective partner to deliver an effective solution. In Engie we have found just that partner and we are very much looking forward to working with them to expand our coverage of charging points to support both front line vehicles and other company vehicles.”

Alex Bamberg, managing director of Engie EV Solutions, said: “Biffa is clearly demonstrating its commitment to cleaner air and reduced carbon output across all aspects of its business. Engie is ideally placed to support these efforts by providing the latest in EV charging technology in a scalable solution to support future growth as it transitions to zero carbon transport in the coming months and years.”