idVerde, the country’s leading grounds maintenance provider, is employing an all-electric eSwingo from Aebi Schmidt as part of a new contract to reduce carbon emissions at the 560-acre Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The Olympic Park, home to the 2012 London Olympic Games, attracts around 6m visitors a year, providing retail, leisure, commercial and residential interests and houses over 250 active businesses.
The Park is governed by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which has the post-Games task of transforming one of the UK’s most challenged areas into a world-class, sustainable and thriving neighbourhood, and with whom idVerde has had a contract for the last 10 years.
However, a new contract, issued to idVerde in January this year for a further eight years, also included managing the roads, pathways and boulevards of the Park for the first time with as little environmental impact as possible.
Image: Aebi Schmidt
To meet the brief, idVerde approached four or five different compact sweeper suppliers and carried out trials of appropriate machines before selecting the eSwingo as the most suitable for the task in hand.
The procurement process was led by Fleet and Asset Manager, Adam Wilkes, who said there were a number of criteria the company used in making the decision.
“We wanted a machine with zero emissions as reducing carbon and lessening the environmental impact of keeping the Park clean and tidy was a key part of the contract.
“But we also wanted manoeuvrability and flexibility in the sweeper due to the topography of the Park which has been designed to be visitor-friendly with lots of twisting, winding pathways, tight corners and aesthetically appealing vistas. The eSwingo has ticked all our boxes,” he said.
Another key aspect of the decision to select the eSwingo was the support, training and back-up that Aebi Schmidt provided, added Wilkes. “We were looking for partners rather than suppliers and Aebi Schmidt has been very proactive in all aspects of the relationship,” he said.
The eSwingo is deployed around the Park five days a week on an eight hour shift with charging overnight onsite and with one designated operator driver.
Contract Manager, Christopher James, said feedback from the operator had been very positive. “The eSwingo is highly manoeuvrable, very flexible and works comfortably in some of the tight spaces we have in the Park. We also specified the machine with a weed brush, as part of the contract was to keep weeds under control but with little or no use of chemicals and no impact on the environment.
“The eSwingo is very easy to operate, with simple to use controls and excellent ease of maintenance, with easy-to-each access points for maintenance and lubrication. We’ve been very pleased with its performance,” he added.
One of the cleanest, quietest and most cost-efficient compact sweepers currently available, a single eSwingo can save up to 158kg of CO2 per day during normal operations.
Both the drive and the sweeping unit are propelled entirely by electric power, thanks to a powerful rechargeable battery with a capacity of more than 60 kWh that delivers up to 10 hours without recharging.
The all-electric sweeper offers private service providers, like idVerde, sustainable cutting-edge technology and an all-inclusive and optional package covering all service, maintenance and performance needs.
Aebi Schmidt UK sales manager, Matthew Elderkin, said: “We have had a great relationship with idVerde for a number of years so were delighted when they opted for the eSwingo to meet the new contract with the LLDC at the Olympic Park. The eSwingo fits perfectly in line with its environmental objectives and is ideal for the job in question.”
