The Sustainable Energy Business
Earlier this year, GRIDSERVE – a tech-enabled sustainable energy business – opened the world’s first Electric Forecourt® in Braintree, Essex. GRIDSERVE has developed a new ‘Sun-to-Wheel’ ecosystem that involves the creation of large-scale hybrid solar farms, an example of which is in Cirencester. A construction site where Electric Wheels’ electric utility vehicles (UTVs) have been deployed to support the site’s development.
The Project
The GRIDSERVE Hybrid Solar + Battery farm in Cirencester is due for completion in spring 2022, and currently features two of our electric UTVs on long-term hire. Both of the UTVs are being used by the site’s management team to travel from one end of the 90-acre site to the other, saving the team a 15-minute walk each way, and making it possible to transport smaller loads of materials and resources efficiently.
Due to GRIDSERVE’s core philosophy, using site vehicles that produce zero tailpipe emissions was critical. In fact, all of GRIDSERVE’s site power is sustainable with on-site EV charging using an HVO biodiesel generator, creating 91% less CO2 than burning diesel.
GRIDSERVE Construction Project Manager, Andrew Hogarth, said: “We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the capability of these electric buggies; they’ve been great. They’re powerful and have exceptional battery life. Work onsite would have been a massive challenge without them.”
All-terrain Performance
Working on a busy construction site across multiple seasons means conditions can become very testing. Thick mud and varying terrain can hold up projects. An electric UTV, such as The HiSun Sector 5kW, is all-wheel drive, has a lockable differential, nitrogen-filled shock absorbers, power steering and high torque drive.
Andrew mentioned that a big part of his decision to hire was after hearing that the vehicles had been used at Glastonbury. “We all know just how muddy the well-known festival can get, so if they’re fit for Glastonbury, they’re fit for a solar farm. They work really well in the mud,” he added.
Electric vs Diesel
Having procured an electric buggy in the past, Andrew had been very disappointed by the performance. He mentioned that he was unsure what to expect from latest version of The HiSun Sector 5kW, in relation to its power and recharging capabilities. “The alternative, however, was to go down the diesel route which simply wouldn’t have been in line with our core values,” he said. “We’re very focused on de-carbonising practices wherever possible. Plus, we discovered that compared to the price of just one diesel buggy, we could practically pay for two electric buggies on long-term hire from Electric Wheels. Looking rationally, that option made it worth giving UTVs a second try and we’re pleased we did.”
To find out more about our long-term hire options, please get in touch. Call us on 01953 882175 or email us at enquiries@electric-wheels.co.uk.
