Evergreen Waste Services recently took delivery of the first of five ordered Mack LR Electric models, making its battery electric vehicle (BEV) the first fully electric Class 8 refuse vehicle in operation in the state of Delaware. Evergreen Waste also plans to use bi-directional charging when available to charge the LR Electric battery during off-peak hours and push power back to the power 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,” says 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.”
Evergreen Waste, based in Hockessin, Del., put the LR Electric in service May 4 and will begin everyday service May 13. The LR Electric, equipped with a rear loader McNeilus 25-yard body, will operate in a residential area of New Castle County, Delaware. The LR Electric is planned to make 600 pick-ups and travel about 40 miles each day.
Marcus Stevens, CEO of Evergreen Waste, says Evergreen was awarded grant money through the Delaware Mitigation Plan. He says the company planned to add EVs to its fleet whether or not they received funding, but the grant allowed them to purchase four more LR Electric vehicles to add to its fleet of 50 vehicles. All Class 8 refuse vehicles in the Evergreen Waste fleet are Mack trucks.
Evergreen Waste has two charging stations at its site, with three additional charging units to be installed later. The company ordered five charging stations to accommodate the five LR Electric vehicles so all can be charged at the same time.
“We are one of the first to do vehicle-to-grid,” says Stevens. “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.
“The LR Electric purchase will be a home run 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,” adds Stevens. “It will be a grand slam if we discharge energy back to the grid and receive a credit back. That makes this really attractive.”
Stevens said the Mack Ultra Service Agreement was instrumental in his purchase decision. Standard on all Mack LR Electric models, the Ultra Service Agreement includes scheduled maintenance, preventative maintenance, towing and repair, a battery monitoring service, and Mack’s connected uptime services in one package. It can be included with monthly truck payments for customers in the U.S. and Canada through Mack Financial Services (MFS).
The next-generation Mack LR Electric offers a standard 376-kWh total battery capacity for 42% more energy and increased range between vehicle charges. Twin electric motors produce 448 continuous horsepower and 4,051 lb.-ft. of peak torque output from zero RPM.
Four NMC (nickel manganese cobalt oxide) lithium-ion batteries, charged through a 150-kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system, power the vehicle and all onboard accessories through 12-, 24- 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.
