Mack makes EV truck sale to nonprofit recycler

Greensboro, North Carolina-based Mack Trucks says Eco-Cycle, a nonprofit recycling and zero-waste organization based in Boulder, Colorado, has ordered a Mack LR Electric battery electric vehicle (BEV). Mack says it is the first BEV that Eco-Cycle will add to its fleet.

The announcement was made during an event with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and other state and local officials, Eco-Cycle, Bruckner’s Truck Equipment and Mack representatives at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.

“Mack is extremely pleased that Eco-Cycle chose to order the Mack LR Electric to help them fulfill their commitment to zero waste and now zero emissions,” says Jonathan Randall, Mack senior vice president of sales and operations. “We congratulate Eco-Cycle for setting a new bar and becoming the nation’s first in the composting industry to operate a battery-electric vehicle.”

Four NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide) lithium-ion batteries provide vehicle propulsion and power the truck’s onboard accessories.

“Eco-Cycle is excited to partner with Mack and their global leadership in our transition to EV collection vehicles,” says Suzanne Jones, Eco-Cycle executive director. “Mack has developed not only a cutting-edge EV truck, but their depth of understanding of the challenges of innovation make them an exceptional collaborator. From the extensive testing of the LR Electric, to the collaboration with Bruckner’s, the local dealer, Mack has built a platform that we are certain will enable our collective success.”

Eco-Cycle was established in 1976. Eco-Cycle volunteers brought curbside recycling to Boulder that same year, making the city one of the first 20 in the U.S. to offer curbside recycling, according to a Mack press release.

“Eco-Cycle is proud to be pioneering the first commercial-scale electric-powered collection truck for compostables to help lead the transition of commercial-scale fleet electrification, merging our mission of zero waste with that of zero emissions for a more climate-resilient future,” says Jones. “This effort is in keeping with Eco-Cycle’s long history of pioneering ‘firsts’ for the recycling, composting and waste industry.”

Eco-Cycle plans for the Mack LR Electric vehicle to travel 15,000 miles each year collecting compostables generated by commercial and residential clients and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2,500 tons over the vehicle’s lifetime.

“Electric vehicles are the future for commercial trucks as our industry pushes toward zero tailpipe emissions,” says Brian Bruckner, president of Bruckner’s. “Congratulations to Eco-Cycle for leading us forward to a new future of recycling and a new future of green transportation solutions. The future in heavy-duty trucks is now with Bruckner’s and Mack Trucks.”

Identified by a copper Bulldog ornament on the cab to signify the electric drivetrain, production of the LR Electric began in December 2021 at its Lehigh Valley Operations in Macungie, Pennsylvania, where all Mack Class 8 models for North America and export are assembled.