Derry City and Strabane District Council bosses have announced they will aim to primarily buy hydrogen or electric vehicles within the next decade.
Members of the Environment and Regeneration Committee were told that due to 'rising fuel costs' the local authority would look at a number of options with the aim of mitigating increased costs.
It's understood that the council's fleet replacement programme has already begun, with smaller vehicles and minivans being replaced with electric and hybrid vehicles.
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“Part of the challenge would be the infrastructure in terms of our depots which we will have to update and amend to support those types of vehicles and ensure that our staff are trained in servicing and maintaining those vehicles, so it is a huge challenge," a council officer said.
“By 2032 that will be the last date that petrol-only and diesel vehicles will go on to the market and from that point on it will be hybrid electric or potentially hydrogen vehicles so we are working towards those dates.
“When it comes to a lot of our kit, our sweepers, our specialist type vehicles, it’s only now the industry is looking at alternative fuel sources and designing from new.
“There are a couple of vehicles that have been retrofitted but the industry is now rising to the challenge and bringing forward vehicles that are 100% electric, 100% hybrid, as opposed to retrofits to existing vehicles.
“That process has begun and will roll out over the coming years but there are many challenges.”
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