Los Angeles To Receive Electric Garbage Trucks

Motiv Power Systems is deploying two zero-emission refuse trucks to the City of Los Angeles.

A continuation of a demonstration project funded by the California Energy Commission, the Class 8 electric refuse vehicles (ERVs) will use the Motiv all-electric powertrain to drive a Crane Carrier chassis with an automated side-loader body built by Amrep, Inc. The trucks will be built by Amrep in Los Angeles and are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2018.

The City of Los Angeles Sanitation plans to run the ERVs on residential and recycling routes and expects to save as much as 6000 gal. of fuel per year.

“Fossil-fueled garbage trucks emit about 20 times the carbon of the average U.S. home. They achieve just two to three miles per gallon, and stick to standard routes, making them ideal electrification targets for LA’s sustainability program,” said Jim Castelaz, CEO, Motiv, Foster City, Calif. “We’re proud that our all-electric refuse trucks will help the city achieve its cleaner air goals, as well as save on operational and maintenance costs.”

As the City of Los Angeles develops pathways to meet an 80% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by 2050, reducing air pollution from mobile sources will play a key role. Motiv said its scalable powertrain is suited for helping public works and city service vehicles contribute to GHG reductions from a wide variety of vehicles.

Similar to the Motiv-powered electric refuse trucks on the road in Sacramento, Calif., the Los Angeles trucks will have a payload capacity of nine tons and 1000 lb. per cu.yd. of compaction. The ERVs are equipped with 10 battery packs with up to 212 kWh of power. The batteries charge overnight.

Upon delivery, the Los Angeles ERVs bring the all-electric refuse trucks powered by Motiv to a total of three in California and four within North America.