Automotive

Electric refuse trucks to roll out in Paris next year

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The 26-ton electric refuse truck is powered by five strings of seven interchangeable battery packs (equivalent to 250 kilowatt hours)
SITA Ile de France is getting ready to clean up with the world's first electric refuse truck to offer the same performance and power levels as fossil-fueled vehicles
The 26-ton electric refuse truck is powered by five strings of seven interchangeable battery packs (equivalent to 250 kilowatt hours)

All of the different places I've lived in have had one thing in common – an early morning wake up call when the refuse truck appears in the street. Any move to make such things a little quieter is very welcome indeed, and if it benefits the environment too, then that's another tick in the plus column. Dow Kokam and PVI have announced that a fleet of much less noisy electric refuse trucks is to be rolled out in 2011 by SITA Ile de France, offering similar power and performance levels as their fossil-fueled counterparts.

PVI says that the advanced lithium polymer battery system developed in cooperation with Dow Kokam has resulted in a 26-ton electric refuse truck which is the "first ever fully electric refuse truck offering the same performance levels as conventional utility vehicles." The liquid cooled, flat-cell battery technology offers 140 watt hours per kilogram of specific energy and is quoted as having a 10-year lifespan.

The powertrain elements and the mechanisms relating to the collection of refuse are all powered by five strings of seven interchangeable battery packs (equivalent to 250 kilowatt hours), which is said to eliminate 130 tons of CO2 per truck per year. The trucks should be able to collect at least a couple of 16 ton service runs before the charge needs some attention and the ability to be partially recharged between runs should further extend that range.

In addition to the promise of quieter operation, they are zero local emission trucks which benefit from no idling during periods of inactivity. They can get up to a maximum speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) at full payload with the added advantage of 100 per cent starting torque, and integrated gearbox kinematics will allow the truck to climb steep inclines with a full load without adversely affecting traffic flow.

The first truck will be rolled out by SITA Ile de France at Courbevoie, just outside of Paris in early 2011, with a fleet of 11 vehicles expected to be running by the end of the year.

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4 comments
Gadgeteer
What mystifies me is why companies like UPS and Fedex don\'t have more electric delivery trucks running in cities. Although actually plug-in hybrids would be better for them. I see the trucks stop every block or even several times per block to make deliveries. That has to be hellish for the diesel engines since they never reach optimal operating temperature. Cold engine oil, cold catalytic converter and cold engine block has to mean higher friction, more wear and tear and more pollution. It would be so much better to use electric drive in town and switch to diesel only when it\'s time to get to and from the sorting depot in the suburbs. Last I heard, UPS has only a couple of hundred hybrid vehicles. That\'s out of a fleet of well over 100,000 trucks. Not good.
Desert Fox
I work in Neuilly, a suburb of Paris. (Where Nicolas Sarkozy was Mayor before being elected as President of the French Republic)
We have had electric garbage trucks on the street for about two years now (maybe more). They seem to be a success - they are still there.
The benefits outlined above are real - no more diesel fumes while the compactor works and much quieter. They are rather slow when you get behind them, but overall a great improvement.
Highly Recommended.
Adrian Akau
The stop and go power system of vehicles such as refuse trucks and mail delivery vehicles is best served by electric motors, not ICE\'s. Improved batteries, battery packs and charge stations are definitely on their way.
l0gan
Completely agree with Adrian - The instant torque availability would definitely be the way to go for refuse/parcel trucks. Once they start investing in these technologies these trucks will probably haul arse!
I\'m excited to see that there are now electric trucks out there, but I want to see them in the US too! As of now the trend in the US is CNG (compressed natural gas) - seen here http://newwaytrucks.com/cng/
I hope to see some of these electric trucks here soon, but I won\'t hold my breath! :P