Countryside goes green with hybrid delivery trucks

Countryside Water Coolers has invested in two 7.5-tonne Mitsubishi Canters, which can carry up to 150 of its 19-litre water cooler bottles.

The Hull-based company, which currently has a 12-strong fleet, supplies plumbed-in and bottled water coolers, as well as water and recyclable cups, to businesses around Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

The new lorries use a 40kW electric motor in addition to a three-litre turbo diesel engine, incorporating energy recovery and stop/start technology to reduce fuel consumption by around 23 percent.

Rebecca Stow, general operations director at the company, said the new trucks, which bring the total fleet to 14, were chosen specifically because of the eco-credentials.

The business is ‘constantly’ looking for ways of reducing its carbon footprint, she said.

In addition to introducing the new lorries, the company asks clients to save the plastic drinking cups provided for recycling. The bottles provided for its water coolers can also be reused up to 50 times.

The lorries, which run on battery at low speeds, will be used for deliveries in the Hull and Grimsby areas.

Countryside Water Coolers is a family-owned business that launched in 1991. It now has a 20-strong workforce headquartered in Wiltshire Road, Hull.