L.A. to Deploy Motiv’s Electric Refuse Truck

Motiv Power Systems has received an order for two battery-electric refuse trucks from the City of Los Angeles' Sanitation Department, making it the third metropolitan area in the United States that will utilize Motiv-powered, zero-emission refuse trucks, according to Government-Fleet.com.

The trucks are also used in Chicago and Sacramento.

The City of Chicago contracted with Motiv in 2012 to build up to 20 of these electric garbage trucks. They began operation in late 2014.

According to the company, its all-electric powertrain results in a zero-emission electric vehicle with the same capability as traditional diesel-powered vehicles without the noise or pollution typically associated with refuse trucks.

Earlier this summer, L.A. along with Wayne Engineering completed a pilot program using a different battery-electric refuse truck produced by BYD. LASAN ran a four-month pilot project with a class-six battery-electric refuse truck developed by BYD and Wayne Engineering. The demonstration began in January 2017, with the truck operating on the same real-world routes and variable terrain as LASAN’s regular trucks.