Mack provides Wisconsin’s first fully electric refuse trucks for municipal fleet

Two Mack LR Electric Class 8 refuse models were officially delivered to the City of Madison, Wisconsin, during an event at Kriete Truck Centres on Tuesday, September 17th. At the event, the commercial truck and equipment dealer and Mack Trucks officially handed over the first fully electric refuse trucks in Wisconsin, and demonstrated the vehicles' quiet operation and mobility capabilities.

Cleaner air, quieter streets for city communities

The two new vehicles have replaced two ICE trucks at the end of their service life, and are the start of a cleaner city refuse program, according to the Mayor of Madison, Satya Rhodes-Conway. "Our trash and recycling trucks hit every single block in every neighborhood in the city of Madison," she said. "That equals a lot of diesel fumes released in our neighborhoods. Diesel fumes contribute to childhood asthma, and they contribute to higher rates of heart disease. So if we can take even one diesel truck off of the streets and put an electric truck in its place that is not creating those emissions, that's a win for the health of our community."

The two zero tailpipe emissions trucks delivered to the City are a Mack LR Electric with a Leach rear-loader and a Mack LR Electric with a Labrie automated side loader (ASL). During the event, the City demonstrated how the ASL worked, spotlighting the durability and quietness of the collection.

Refuse collection is a perfect application for electric vehicles

George Fotopoulos, Mack's VP of E-mobility, says that waste collection is a great place to start using electric vehicles, as the routes start and end at the same place every day and have constant daily routes. "The introduction of these electric vehicles is not just about replacing old trucks with new trucks," he says. "It's embarking on a new era of waste management. Waste equals opportunities for enhancements in technology to make more efficiencies happen. These vehicles offer real world benefits. They're more efficient, they're quieter, they're safer, they have lower emissions, which means they're also healthier for the communities that they serve."

Regenerative braking systems balance increasing loads

Four Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide lithium-ion batteries, charged through a 150 kilowatt, SAE J1772-compliant charging system, power the vehicle and all onboard accessories through 12 volt, 24 volt, and 600 volt circuits. The two-stage regenerative braking system helps recapture energy from the hundreds of stops the vehicle makes each day with an increasing load.

Evolving fleet management to reduce fuel and maintenance expenses

The mayor has been at the helm of a major shift in the City's fleet. "Five years ago, Madison had no electric vehicles in its fleet," she says. "Today, we have more than 100 full electric vehicles, 150 hybrids, and, thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, 62 new electric buses that will serve our bus rapid transit system. Electrifying heavy-duty vehicles is on the forefront of zero-emissions technology. Madison will help demonstrate the performance of these new electric garbage trucks in real-world conditions and help quantify the long-term savings associated with eliminating fossil fuel costs and reducing maintenance expenses."

Madison has set a goal as part of its Climate Forward Agenda of reaching 100 percent renewable energy and net-zero carbon emissions for city operations by 2030 and community wide by 2050. Madison currently has the largest municipal electric vehicle fleet in Wisconsin.

Service and support from Mack is part of the agreement

The City of Madison's Mack LR Electric models are covered under the Mack Ultra Service Maintenance Agreement. The Mack Ultra Service Agreement gives Mack LR Electric customers a unique uptime package tailored specifically for the technical needs of battery electric vehicles. It includes scheduled maintenance, preventative maintenance, towing and repair, a battery monitoring service, and Mack's connected uptime services in one package that can be included with monthly truck payments.

The LR Electric and its batteries are supported by Mack GuardDog Connect, Mack's integrated telematics solution that helps customers achieve peak operating conditions and maximize uptime. The connected service monitors battery health and performance and checks for fault codes and defects reported by the battery and electric components of the energy storage system.