Mack Trucks is putting its LR Electric refuse hauler to wider use in New York’s boroughs with an order of seven of the near-silent and emission-free trucks.
The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) order is the first Mack has publicly announced. Electrifying the refuse hauler is Mack’s signature move into electric vehicles. Volvo Group sibling Volvo Trucks North America has announced several orders from its Class 8 VNR Electric daycab.
“Customer interest in the Mack LR Electric is very strong, especially among environmentally conscious refuse customers looking for all the benefits our industry-leading Mack LR provides, plus Mack’s zero-emission, fully integrated electric drivetrain,” Scott Barraclough, Mack’s senior product manager for e-mobility, told FreightWaves.
Mack provided an LR Electric to DSNY for testing in September 2020. The department collects about 12,000 tons of refuse and recyclables daily with more than 6,000 vehicles. The majority of those are Mack trucks.
Performing well
“The Mack LR Electric demonstrator is performing well, and we look forward to when we have one in each of our city’s zones,” DSNY Commissioner Edward Grayson said in a press release.
The seven battery-electric vehicles will be located in the seven zones covering New York’s five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn North, Brooklyn South, Manhattan, Queens East, Queens West and Staten Island. A direct current fast charger will charge each truck’s batteries.
DSNY evaluated payload capacity, regenerative braking, overall vehicle performance, operating range and charging requirements before placing the order.
Republic Services Group (NYSE: RSG), the nation’s No. 2 refuse company, also is testing a Mack LR Electric. Republic canceled an order for 2,500 electric garbage trucks from Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA) last December.
“Mack has long been the number one choice of refuse customers, and we are now well-positioned to be the industry leader in e-mobility as well,” said Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of sales and commercial operations.
New York City has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2040, said Rocco DiRico, DSNY deputy commissioner for support services.
Plentiful power
The Mack LR Electric demonstrator features twin 167-kilowatt-hour electric motors offering a combined output of 448 continuous horsepower and 4,051 pound feet of torque zero RPM. The vehicle has a two-speed Mack Powershift transmission and Mack’s proprietary S462R 46,000-pound rear axles.
Four nickel manganese cobalt oxide lithium-ion batteries are charged through a 150kW system that propels the truck and powers onboard accessories through 12-, 24- and 600-volt circuits.
The three-mode regenerative braking system adjusts to the refuse truck’s increasing load throughout the day and helps recapture energy from the hundreds of stops and starts the vehicle makes each day.
The Mack LR Electric supports equipment bodies from multiple manufacturers. That allows the truck to be custom-tailored. Seating and door options from the conventional Mack LR are available for the electric model.
A copper-colored bulldog hood ornament signifies the fully electric drivetrain.
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