The City of Chicago is deploying 20 all-electric refuse trucks that use the proprietary electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) from Motiv Power Systems. The five-year program reflects a contract value of up to $13.4 million.
The electric refuse trucks, each of which weighs 52,000 lbs., will use a version of the ePCS system that features 10 battery packs that store a total of 200 kWh. Each truck will have a range of approximately 60 miles.
‘We are thrilled that Chicago is driving the push for electric refuse trucks, and that our ePCS can be employed to create these revolutionary vehicles,’ says Shyam Nagrani, vice president of business development and marketing for Motiv. ‘These EV refuse trucks will provide the streets of Chicago with quiet, emissions-free garbage pickup, without submitting residents to excessive diesel pollution or loud noise.’
Motiv has had an all-electric bus in pilot operation since March. This 20-passenger vehicle contains five battery packs (125 kWh) that can provide a range of over 120 miles on a single charge.
‘Scaling up from the medium-duty pilot bus to the Class 8 garbage truck is really just a matter of switching out components and re-packaging it onto the new chassis,’ addds Jim Castelaz, CEO of Motiv. ‘We've designed the whole system to be compatible with any off-the-shelf motors and batteries, which are brought to an uniform operating standard by our software.’
In Chicago, Motiv is working with Detroit Chassis to install the ePCS onto standard refuse chassis, and Loadmaster is providing the truck bodies.
