First Mack Trucks LR Electric model begins service with DSNY

Mack Trucks, Greensboro, North Carolina, has turned over the keys to its Mack LR Electric demonstration model to New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) officials, who will put it through rigorous, real-world trials.

“Mack Trucks is proud to deliver to DSNY their first fully electric refuse vehicle, the Mack LR Electric, so it can begin its in-service trial in their demanding application,” says Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of North American sales and commercial operations. “The LR Electric is equipped with Mack’s integrated electric powertrain to help DSNY achieve their greenhouse gas (GHG) goals while also offering a significantly quieter propulsion system.”

The announcement was made during Climate Week NYC 2020, one of the biggest climate summits taking place this year and coordinated through the United Nations and New York City.

DSNY is the world’s largest municipal sanitation department, with roughly 12,000 tons of refuse and recyclables collected each day by more than 6,000 vehicles. Their collection fleet is comprised predominantly of Mack vehicles.

DSNY will base the Mack LR Electric demonstration model at its Brooklyn North 1 garage and conduct an in-service trial on local collection routes, evaluating operating range, payload capacity, regenerative braking and overall functionality of the electric refuse vehicle in its operations.

“We’re pleased to begin in-service testing of the first Mack LR Electric within our fleet,” says Rocco DiRico, deputy commissioner for support services at DSNY. “Electric trucks will be a key component to helping New York City meet its ambitious goal of reducing GHG emissions by 80 percent by the year 2035.”

Mack announced earlier this month its plans to commercialize the LR Electric model in 2021, enabling customers to collect refuse in a more environmentally friendly way. 

Featuring a copper-colored Bulldog hood ornament to represent the fully electric drivetrain, DSNY’s Mack LR Electric demonstrator features two 167-kilowatt (kW) motors, offering a combined 536 peak horsepower and 4,051 pounds per foot of torque available from zero rpm.

The vehicle is equipped with a two-speed Mack Powershift transmission and Mack proprietary S522R 52,000-pound rear axles. The truck features four NMC lithium-ion batteries (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide) that are charged via a 150-kilowatt, SAE J1772-compliant charging system.

All accessories on the Mack LR Electric model, including the hydraulic system for the Heil Durapack 5000 refuse body, are electrically driven through 12-volt, 24-volt and 600-volt circuits.

Mack unveiled the DSNY LR Electric demonstrator in May 2019 and demonstrated the vehicle to DSNY officials in January at the Mack Customer Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.