Mack to start producing electric refuse trucks

Greensboro, North Carolina-based Mack Trucks has announced plans to commercialize its Mack LR Electric refuse model, to be equipped with what it calls a fully electric integrated Mack drivetrain. Orders for the LR Electric will open in the fourth quarter of 2020, with deliveries beginning in 2021, says the firm.

“Mack’s leadership in the refuse segment goes back more than a century, and we’re pleased to build on that heritage today by announcing the commercialization of the LR Electric model,” says Martin Weissburg, president of Mack Trucks. “This clean, quiet and powerful truck demonstrates the very best of Mack innovation and our people, and I couldn’t be more proud to announce our plans to build it.”

The LR Electric will be manufactured at Mack’s Lehigh Valley Operations in Macungie, Pennsylvania, “where all heavy-duty Mack trucks built for North America are assembled,” says the company.

Mack say its LR Electric “will fulfill the needs of refuse customers, whether commercial or municipal, seeking a true zero-emissions truck that aligns with their own environmental goals and local emissions regulations.” 

Introduced as a prototype in 2018, the LR Electric features an electric powertrain with twin electric motors and four nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion batteries providing vehicle propulsion and power for onboard accessories. A three-mode regenerative braking system takes into account the truck’s increasing load and helps recapture energy from the hundreds of stops refuse trucks make per day, according to Mack.

In a nod to its pedigree and its copper-wired electric driveline, LR Electric models will feature a copper Bulldog mounted on the front of each truck, says the firm.

“The LR Electric is paving the way toward widespread acceptance of zero-emissions refuse trucks,”  Weissburg remarks. “As we begin delivering them to customers in the coming year, we remain committed to ensuring these trucks are built to meet the unique needs of the refuse industry.”

As with other Mack LR models, the LR Electric can be fitted with equipment bodies from a number of manufacturers, according to Mack Trucks. Customers will be able to choose from the same driver/passenger side driving configurations, seating choices and door options offered on the diesel-powered LR, the company adds.