Falkirk Council has transitioned its fleet of 12 diesel vehicles to fully electric, becoming the first local authority in Scotland to operate electric tipper trucks and the first in the UK to deploy electric Luton vans. The move aligns with the council’s broader climate goals and marks a milestone in local government fleet decarbonisation.
The new fleet includes eight Ford E-Transit Tippers and four E-Transit Luton vans. These vehicles will be used to support local operations such as building maintenance and street cleaning. The Building Maintenance department, which services roughly 17,000 council properties, will use the vans for building repair works, while the Street Cleaning team will deploy the tippers to collect bulky waste, litter, and empty public bins.
Both vehicle types are based on the Ford E-Transit platform and are available with either a 115 kW or 180 kW battery. The standard-range model offers a maximum payload of 1.7 tonnes with a range of up to 339 km, whereas the extended-range variant can reach up to 400 km with a payload capacity of approximately 1.5 tonnes. Although Falkirk Council has not specified which battery versions it will use, the standard range model is considered more suited to frequent, short-distance operations typical of municipal services.
The council’s adoption of these electric commercial vehicles is part of a growing trend among public sector organisations to transition toward lower-emission transport options. Falkirk’s move is also notable for being the first local authority to order these specific models directly from Ford’s production line.