An electric garbage truck is being trialled in Canberra’s streets and suburbs, as the ACT Government assesses how it could move to zero emissions trucks for waste collection.
Chris Steel, ACT Minister for Transport and City Services, said the two-week trial would provide an understanding of the features and benefits of using zero emissions technology for heavy commercial vehicles.
“Zero emissions technology has advanced significantly for heavy vehicles, and we want to be ready to bring on new waste trucks to provide cleaner, quieter waste and recycling services to the Canberra community,” Mr Steel said. “This trial is another important step in that direction.”
The electric garbage truck was developed by Bucher Municipal Pty Ltd (BMAu) and SEA Electric, and uses a diesel Hino FE 1426 with an electric motor conversion. It has a range of 190 km (empty body), and takes eight hours to charge.
The vehicle will be based at the government’s Allara St depot in Civic, which has already been fitted with charging infrastructure following an earlier electric tipper truck trial.
“Bucher Municipal is pleased to be partnering with the ACT Government and Transport Canberra & City Services for a trial of our full electric waste compaction vehicle,” said regional sales manager, Darren Gear.
“The Bucher UR11 rear loader fitted to the Hino FE Sea drive chassis is the cutting edge of EV technology.
“Our company believes in solving challenges with key partnerships through technology, and we strive to develop new equipment that meet environmental outcomes for now and into the future.”
Mr Steel said the electric garbage truck was part of the ACT Government’s work to transition to a zero emissions fleet. Transport accounted for more than 60 per cent of the ACT’s harmful emissions.
“The ACT is Australia’s leader on climate action,” Mr Steel said. “Tackling climate change in ACT means we need to electrify private and public transport as soon as we can.”
Twelve battery electric buses will join Transport Canberra’s fleet this year, with 90 more e-buses on the way.
