The first of five Mack LR Electric vehicles has been delivered to Hockessin, Delaware-based Evergreen Waste Services. The purely battery-electric Class 8 truck will officially begin garbage collection operations on May 13. Featuring a rear loader McNeilus 25-yard body, the LR Electric will hit the road in the residential area of New Castle County where a total of 600 planned pick-ups will take place.
The company estimates it will travel about 40 miles daily. Bi-directional charging will be utilized when available to charge the vehicle during off-peak hours, thus pushing power back into the grid during peak hours.
“It’s exciting for Mack to be part of Evergreen Waste’s peak shaving effort to help reduce the amount of purchased energy from its local utility company during peak demand hours,” said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. “This is just one example of the benefits of BEVs, and we are happy to be able to supply five Mack LR Electric reuse vehicles to Evergreen Waste to help support them in their journey to adopt electric technology.”
CEO Marcus Stevens confirmed the company received grant money for the trucks’ purchase from the Delaware Mitigation Plan but planned to add battery electric vehicles into service regardless. The grant, however, did enable them to buy those four additional LR Electrics that will be added to the existing 50-vehicle fleet once delivered.
Evergreen Waste has invested in another critical battery-electric technology: charging. There are two charging stations at its site and three more are planned, eventually allowing for one charger per truck.
“We are one of the first to do vehicle-to-grid,” Stevens said. “We will bring the LR Electric back to our site with about 40 percent less battery life than when it left. We will then send power back to the grid during peak hours, and then we will charge the vehicle during the off-peak hours of 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. The vehicle will be fully charged and ready to go by 5 a.m.”
Mack Trucks played a critical role assisting Evergreen Waste when deciding the ideal infrastructure for its needs.
The Class 8 Mack LR Electric was on display this past week at this year’s WasteExpo in Las Vegas. It comes standard with 376 kWh battery capacity, which is 42% more energy for additional range between charging. With its dual electric motors totaling 448 horsepower, maximum instant torque comes to 4,051 lb-ft.
Four Nickel Magnesium Cobalt Oxide (NMC) lithium-ion batteries are charged using a 150 kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system. The batteries provide power for all vehicle systems and onboard accessories with 12V, 24V, and 600V circuits.
“The LR Electric purchase will be a homerun if the vehicle can handle 600 stops and go back to the yard because it significantly allows us to save money on diesel and maintenance needs,” Stevens added. “It will be a grand slam if we discharge energy back to the grid and receive a credit back. That makes this really attractive.”
