Mack Trucks’ Mack Academy has opened a new facility in Tinley Park, Ill., to better support battery-electric vehicle (BEV) training as well as provide dealers and customers with easier access to training in the central U.S.
The Mack Academy signed a seven-year lease, with an option to renew, for the 14,865 square-foot facility located in a manufacturing park outside of Chicago.
“The Tinley Park Mack Academy is located in a central location so that dealers and customers needing training can easily travel to the facility,” says Scott Behe, Mack Academy’s senior manager of operations. “It is in close proximity to both O’Hare and Midway airports, and the facility is about 5,500 square feet bigger than our previous location, so it fulfills our need for more space for BEV-specific training.”
BEV coursework at Tinley Park is focused on BEV safety training, operation, repair and sales. Other courses include diesel training such as engine overhaul, transmission design/function and parts sales, and warranty fundamentals.
The Mack LR Electric refuse model, Mack’s first fully electric Class 8 vehicle, is also now available for order and is supported by dealers and training facilities in various locations across the U.S.
The next generation LR Electric features 42% more energy and a standard 376 kWh total battery capacity, offering an increased range compared with the first generation LR Electric. Featuring twin electric motors, the Mack LR Electric offers 448 continuous horsepower and 4,051 lb.-ft. of peak output torque from zero RPM. The LR Electric has a two-speed Mack Powershift transmission, Mack mRIDE suspension and Mack’s proprietary S462R 46,000-pound rear axles.
The Mack Trucks Academy has six training locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Mack also operates training facilities in Allentown, Pa.; Atlanta, Ga.; Grand Prairie, Texas; and Toronto, Canada.