Solar panels on new van roofs help charge equipment

Southern Water is set to replace a third of its engineering vehicle fleet, with more than 300 new vans – the majority of which will be partially powered by solar panels. 

The solar panels, located on the roofs, will help drivers and engineers charge equipment while out and about – meaning they can get more done without taking trips to our sites.  

The new vans will be driven by operational, technical and customer teams across the Southeast. 

The new vehicles will also feature safety sensors for checking van weight, all season tyres and 70mph controlled speed limiters.  

Martin Lock, Fleet Manager at Southern Water said: “We are replacing around a third of our fleet with new vehicles. Vans such as the Vauxhall Combo, Vivaro and Movano, plus Ford 4 x 4 Ranger pickup will replace some of our older vehicles and include the new livery. There are some exciting new features that include solar panels on the van’s roofs to power on board batteries, reversing cameras and on board weighing.” 

There are also more than 30 new 4x4 automatic trucks, which will be used at remotes sites and for off road operational use. 

Southern Water are using the new vans to highlight some of the unusual technologies it uses and benefits on offer to its customers. They include: 

• Using satellite technology to find hidden water leaks.  
• Is using AI to find sewer blockages. 
• Uses solar and poo power to run some of our sites. 
• Save £75 a year just by cutting a minute off your shower. 
• Save up to 45% on your water bill payments on our essentials tariff.