Mack Trucks will begin taking orders in the fourth quarter for the battery-powered LR Electric garbage truck it is testing in New York City and with Republic Services.
Wednesday’s announcement comes just weeks after Republic (NYSE: RSG) agreed to buy 2,500 battery-electric garbage trucks from startup Nikola (NASDAQ: NKLA) and Republic said it was the largest order for garbage trucks in the industry’s history.
Mack, a US subsidiary of Sweden’s Volvo Group (OTC: VLVLY), said deliveries of the Electric LR will begin in 2021. The Mack LR Electric production model is aimed at commercial or municipal waste haulers that want a zero-emissions truck. Since it runs on batteries, its quiet operation allows for nighttime shooting.
“The LR Electric paves the way toward widespread acceptance of zero-emission garbage trucks,” McMartin President Weissburg said in a press release.
Quiet power
The LR Electric features a fully integrated electric motor with dual 496-hp alternating current (AC) motors and a two-speed transmission. It produces 4,051 lb-ft of torque. It is equipped with a 20,000-pound Mack FXL20 front axle and two 52,000-pound Mack S522R rear axles. The gross weight of the vehicle is 72,000 pounds.
Dual electric motors and four nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion batteries have a charging capacity of up to 150 kW at a maximum current of 200 amps. They propel the truck and power the onboard attachments, including a 25-yard DuraPack 5000 backhoe loader.
A three-mode regenerative braking system with auto, low and high options recovers energy from the hundreds of stops a garbage truck typically makes in a day.
“It’s a closed-loop application; it has predetermined routes. It has a (limited) range,” Roy Horton, Mac’s director of product strategy, said in January. “She’s home every night, so for a battery-powered electric vehicle Which needs to be charged, it is an ideal (application).”
Equipment bodies from many manufacturers allow tailoring to fit specific applications. The driver/passenger-side drive configurations, seating options and door options available on the diesel-powered LR carry over to the LR Electric. Simple changes to the instrumentation and switchgear improve cab ergonomics.
The LR Electric will be manufactured at Mack’s Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) in Macungie, Pennsylvania, where all Mack heavy-duty trucks built for North America are assembled.
The electrical system borrows from Volvo Group’s work on electric buses in Europe. Horton said it has been modified for North America.
Mack introduced the LR Electric as a prototype in 2018. As with all Mack trucks, it comes with a Bulldog hood ornament. The LR Bulldog is copper in color to signify electricity.
Related articles:
LR may launch the future of electric mobility for Mack Trucks
The limited edition Mack Anthem switches to the signature black bulldog hood ornament
Republic Services requests 2,500 garbage trucks from Nikola
Click for more FreightWaves articles by Alan Adler.
