BYD Delivers Battery-electric Refuse Truck to Recology

BYD (Build Your Dreams) announced it has delivered Seattle’s first-ever all-electric refuse truck, which is also the first electric Class 8 rear loader in the United States.

According to the company, the major milestone for heavy-duty battery-electric trucks features BYD’s hardworking 8R Class 8 fitted with New Way Viper Rear Loader refuse body. The vehicle is now in operation with Recology and servicing the city of Seattle with solid waste pickup.

“By partnering with the city of Seattle, BYD and New Way, we can be a catalyst to effect positive, sustainable change, setting the stage for what a 21st century refuse truck should look like,” said Derek Ruckman, vice president and group manager in the Pacific Northwest at Recology, in a statement.

“We’re proud to provide Recology and the residents of Seattle with the most advanced collection trucks in the world,” said BYD Motors Director of Business Development John Gerra in a statement. “And with the outstanding support we received from New Way for its advanced rear loader design, we are excited to build many more trucks together for the U.S. market.”

New Way, a family-owned business since 1971, manufactures a complete line of refuse equipment in Scranton, Iowa, including the Viper mid-compaction rear loader bodies. With outside cylinders and operating valve, New Way’s Viper design offers increased efficiency, safety and value, noted the company.

“By combining the innovative design of our Viper Rear Loader body with BYD’s zero-emissions, battery-electric technology, we can produce the most efficient and sustainable refuse truck available on the market today,” said Don Ross, New Way vice president of sales and marketing, in a statement.

Recology, an employee-owned company with more than 100 years of experience in the waste industry, provides service to communities up and down the West Coast. The Recology mission represents a fundamental shift from traditional waste management to resource recovery. The vision at Recology is to create a world without waste by developing and discovering sustainable resource recovery practices that can be implemented globally.