Transport for London (TfL) is trialling a new way to cut its carbon emissions by utilising zero-emission construction vehicles.

For future works, TfL will begin employing an electric excavator and wheel loader to replace equipment traditionally powered by fossil fuels. It has already trialled the vehicles at three locations in Redcliffe Gardens in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The electric vehicles use a method of recharging provided by Charge Fairy, a British electric charging start-up. It provides real-time updates on the machines’ charging levels when on-site – this feeds into a team that can then send a charging van to the site.

This method of bringing the charger to the vehicle allows the construction machines to be recharged in an hour.

TfL said that developments in how vehicles on construction sites are powered and charged could change how the capital’s transport network is built in the future. Mayor Sadiq Khan has set a target for London to be carbon neutral by 2030.

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