BIN collectors are getting charged up by a new generation of electric vehicle.

Oxford City Council has begun trials of a battery powered Nissan Cabstar for city centre refuse collections, as it considers investing in greener technology for its 21 bin lorries and five kerbside collection vehicles.

The £45,000 vehicle is on loan from CBL Electric Vehicles as part of a month’s trial which is expected to help the Bampton-based firm prove the prowess of its 3.5 tonne truck.

To adapt to its new environment, the truck, which has a range of 60 miles and takes eight hours to charge, has had its top speed fixed at 20mph – the speed limit recently applied to many of the city’s minor roads.

Raven Hawk, 45, who is the council’s first driver to use the truck, said: “It’s amazing.

“It’s quite nippy and, as I work in the city centre, it is much better because there are no fumes, no noise and no smell.”