Leading the charge to cleaner cities with EVs and sustainable charging infrastructure

Many municipalities have set lofty goals for carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction in the next decade. Some community mandates will even eliminate all internal combustion engines for city vehicles.

The waste industry has been embracing clean and sustainable initiatives for several years now as they play a significant role in helping municipalities meet their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. Municipalities often have more stringent ESG goals because their customers—the community—demand them. Cities are under pressure to reduce emissions and improve sustainability and refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) are a great place to start the electrification journey.

Why refuse vehicles?

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that roughly 136,000 refuse vehicles are traveling America’s roads every day. With an average of more than 1,000 stops to make each day, refuse vehicles have an average fuel consumption rate of 2.8 miles per gallon. This means these combustion engine vehicles are using more than 1.2 billion gallons of fuel annually in the U.S. alone.

The gas for refuse vehicles can be an enormous expense in municipalities’ budgets. Even more alarming is the millions of pounds worth of CO2 emitted into the air as they drive through neighborhoods. This is a major concern for municipalities as they work to reduce their carbon footprint and increase the quality of life for their communities. The good news is, electric refuse vehicles offer an alternative to current gas-powered fleets.

EVs have been around for a while now, but adoption began slowly for several reasons, including:

• a lack of EV charging infrastructure;
• higher costs of vehicles and not many OEMs producing EVs;
• range anxiety based on battery life; and
• a lack of awareness about the benefits of EVs.

However, in the last year alone we have seen EV adoption take off and anticipate it will skyrocket into 2023:

• Fleet OEMs are developing and producing more models.
• Local, state and federal governments have been increasing incentives for businesses and individuals to purchase EVs and build out EV charging infrastructure.
• Technology has improved immensely. Electric vehicles are becoming more efficient and have a longer range than they did in the past.
• Charging stations are becoming more widely available, making it easier and more convenient for people to charge their vehicles.
• The long-term EV benefits can outweigh the upfront cost. EVs do not emit pollutants, they’re quieter, they provide a smoother ride, they require less maintenance and the utility cost to charge them is much cheaper than fuel prices.

For refuse vehicles that make frequent stops, burn through fuel and need constant maintenance, going electric is an ideal alternative. Electric trucks don’t require oil changes. Additionally, since most RCVs come back to the facility each night, they can be charged overnight and be ready to go by morning.

Will charging an EV increase my utility bill?

While it’s true that using traditional utility power would impact your utility bill, microgrid technology makes it possible to have an EV charging station that incorporates renewable energy options to either support or eliminate the use of power from the grid.

EV charging systems can be developed with or without ties to the utility grid, based on several factors such as space available for renewable options, as well as the fleet owner’s energy goals. They can have the ability to automatically switch between pulling energy from the grid or from renewable energy resources based on which one is more readily available, most economical and cleanest. For example, when utility energy prices are higher during peak charging times (typically during normal business hours), a company that has a microgrid EV charging solution can choose to use solar or battery power during peak times and wait to pull energy from the utility grid when the energy prices are lower.

How sustainable are EVs?

Versatile, clean EV charging microgrids can give companies a 100 percent renewable way to charge their EV fleets. For refuse companies that value sustainable solutions, this is a natural fit on their journey toward decarbonization.

An EV charging microgrid that is not grid-tied does not use grid electricity that may have originated in a fossil-fuel-burning power plant. Solar panels collect energy from the sun during the day when it’s available and store it in the microgrid battery solution. At night or on cloudy days, the system pulls power from the battery. If a microgrid unit is grid-tied, it pulls energy from the grid when necessary but the microgrid software prioritizes utilizing the smartest, cleanest and most economical energy source.

Are EVs reliable?

Power outages are inevitable, but as more EVs hit the road, the already strained traditional power grid may become less reliable, leading to more power disruptions and outages.

With an off-grid EV charging solution, when the power goes out, the EV charger will provide uninterrupted power to charge EVs. Even if a clean energy EV charger is connected to the main power grid, it can automatically “island” to switch the distributed energy resource from which it is pulling.

This reliability means that, even amid natural disasters that cause power outages, inflated gas prices and more, municipalities can charge RCVs and continue providing services to the community.

What are the cost savings?

One of the biggest reasons to transition a refuse fleet to EVs is cost savings. While the upfront cost to electrify a fleet and install clean EV charging infrastructure is substantial, there are many incentives, grants and rebates offered at the local, state and federal levels for implementing clean EV technology. In addition, companies like EnTech Solutions also provide flexible financing options for microgrid technology including power purchase agreements (PPA) or leasebacks if a company does not want to purchase the technology outright.

Once implemented, municipalities will save on fuel costs and vehicle repairs. Utility costs will also decrease once transitioned to a clean EV charging infrastructure.

As more waste management companies adopt electric vehicles and renewable energy sources, we can expect to see a reduction in emissions and noise pollution in our neighborhoods. This shift toward sustainability will not only benefit the environment but also improve the health and well-being of those living in these communities.

Geri Waack is the director of eMobility solutions at EnTech Solutions, headquartered in Menasha, Wisconsin. She can be reached at geri.waack@faithtechinc.com.