Oshkosh ZFL is first-ever, front-loading EV garbage truck

Pxl 20231218 211247863 Headshot
Oshkosh display CES 2024
The garbage and recycling truck industry will soon have access to Oshkosh's front-loading and fully electric vehicle that's the first of its kind to come to market. Will it be a game-changer?
Oshkosh

The battery-electric garbage truck the industry needs has finally arrived, courtesy of Oshkosh Corporation. The debut took placer at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. 

Introducing the ZFL, the latest expansion of the company's McNeilus Volterra line. This first-of-its-kind BEV garbage and recycling truck boasts a front-loader, AI and other advanced technologies that aim to improve neighborhood collection services.

[Related: Colorado city launches country's first EV garbage and recycling truck fleet]

According to Oshkosh, the ZFL can be driven for an entire work day on a single charge but, oddly, the company has not released vital specs such as battery size, charging capacity, power output, or a specific range. What we do know is that the ZFL features "three new market-leading environmental technologies," specifically:

  • AI-Enabled Bin Detection: Using AI and machine learning, refuse and recycling collection vehicles detect bins, the operator then deploys an electric arm with the push of a button. This helps manage human error and speeds pickups.
  • Electrified Arm: Oshkosh’s new electric arm technology enables refuse and recycling vehicles to operate fast, manage noise and save up to 45 minutes per day in operation time to support the service of more households per day.
  • AI-Powered Contamination Detection: Contamination detection technology enables real-time identification of contaminated recyclables using on vehicle on-the-edge processing, enabling real time notification and decision-making ability. Unlike cloud-based systems, which can experience delays and require high data transfer, Oshkosh’s on-the-edge processing allows for rapid contaminant detection.

Oshkosh also unveiled its Hail-able Autonomous Refuse Robot - Electric, more simply the HARR-E. As you may have already guessed, an autonomous and fully electric refuse collector robot capable of performing tasks humans typically don't like to do like on-demand trash and recycling pickup. These function are fully controllable with a smartphone app or a home virtual assistant. By incorporating both AI-enabled navigation and state-of-the-art sensors, the HARR-E then performs its assigned tasks and returns to a central collection area upon completion. 

The manufacturer's other reveals are a Collision Avoidance Mitigation System (CAMS), an autonomous, all-electric driverless cargo handler for airports called the JLG Galileo, and an Autonomous Mobile Charging Robot (AMCR) concept. 

The CAMS is designed solely for emergency roadside assistance scenarios. Capable of detecting trajectory, speed, and proximity of oncoming vehicles, it utilizes AI advanced camera technology and autonomous driving sensors and radar. Oshkosh claims CAMS is capable of providing seconds of advance notice of an impending collision while recording a continuous video feed that'll come in handy when reconstructing an accident for legal and insurance purposes. 

The JLG Galileo is equipped with LiDAR, radars, cameras, and other advanced sensors and object recognition technologies. For example, it has boom lift and rotating telehandler functions.

As for the AMCR, it brings wireless charging capabilities directly to vital equipment found on job sites. 

Jay Traugott has covered the automotive and transportation sector for over a decade and now serves as Senior Editor for Clean Trucking. He holds a drifting license and has driven on some of the world's best race tracks, including the Nurburgring and Spa. He lives near Boulder, Colorado, and spends his free time snowboarding, climbing, and hiking. He can be reached at [email protected].

Hydrogen Fuel Cell & BEV Survey
The following survey was sent as a link in an email cover message in February 2023 to the newsletter lists for Overdrive and CCJ. After approximately two weeks, a total of 176 owner-operators under their own authority, 113 owner-operators leased or assigned to a carrier and 82 fleet executives and 36 fleet employees from fleets with 10 or more power units had completed and submitted the questionnaire for a total of 407 qualified responses. Cross-tabulations based on respondent type are provided for each question when applicable.
View Infogram