Mack Trucks will begin taking orders in the fourth quarter for the LR battery-electric garbage truck it is testing in New York City and in partnership with Republic Services.
The announcement Wednesday comes just weeks after Republic (NYSE: RSG) agreed to buy 2,500 battery-electric waste trucks from startup Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA), which Republic said was the largest waste truck order in the industry’s history.
The Mack LR Electric has been in testing with the New York City Department of Sanitation since the second quarter. Mack announced in February 2019 that it would partner with Republic, the nation’s second-largest waste collection company after Waste Management.
Mack, a U.S. subsidiary of Sweden’s Volvo Group (OTC: VLVLY), said deliveries of the electric LR will begin in 2021. The production Mack LR Electric is aimed at commercial or municipal waste haulers who want a zero-emissions truck. Because it’s battery-powered, its quiet operation allows for nighttime pickups.
“LR Electric paves the way for widespread acceptance of zero-emission garbage trucks,” said Martin Weisburg, president of Mack, in a press release.
Quiet power
The LR Electric features a fully integrated electric powertrain with two AC motors for a maximum output of 496 horsepower and a two-speed transmission. They produce 4,051 lb-ft of torque. It is equipped with a 20,000-lb Mack FXL20 front axle and two 52,000-lb Mack S522R rear axles. The gross vehicle weight is 72,000 lbs.
Dual electric motors and four nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion batteries have a charging output of up to 150 kilowatts (kW) at a maximum current of 200 amps. They propel the truck and power its onboard accessories, including a 25-yard DuraPack 5000 tail lift.
The three-mode regenerative braking system, with automatic, low and high options, recovers energy from the hundreds of stops a garbage truck typically makes in a day.
“It’s a closed-loop app; it has predefined routes; it has a range,” Roy Horton, Mac’s director of product strategy, said in January. “It’s home every night, so it’s a perfect app for a battery-electric vehicle that needs to charge.”
The equipment structures from many manufacturers allow them to be customized for specific applications. The driver/passenger driving configurations, seating options and door options offered in the diesel LR carry over to the LR Electric. Minor changes to the gauges and controls improve the cab’s ergonomics.
The LR Electric will be manufactured at Mack’s Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) in Macungie, Pennsylvania, where all Mack heavy-duty trucks for North America are assembled.
The electric system borrows from Volvo Group’s work on electric buses in Europe and has been modified for North America, Horton said.
Mack introduced the LR Electric as a concept truck in 2018. Like all Mack trucks, the truck features a bulldog-shaped hood. The LR Bulldog is copper-colored to signify electricity.
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