Motiv Power Systems has announced several of its vendor partners for what it expects to be the first U.S. all-electric Class 8 refuse truck. 

Last November, Motiv was granted a five-year contract up to $13.4 million to provide up to 20 EV refuse trucks for the City of Chicago.

The garbage truck body will be a Loadmaster 20-cubic yard Excel-S series, provided by RNOW Inc under municipal contract with the City of Chicago. The chassis, manufactured by Crane Carrier, will be furnished by Cumberland Service Center, another City of Chicago contracted dealer. 

The electric powertrain control system (ePCS) uses off-the-shelf batteries and motors, which can be mixed and matched to fit the exact size and duty cycle of the electric truck needed. The ePCS can handle EV trucks from medium- to heavy-duty, weighing 15,000 to 52,000 lbs. Research suggests the ePCS design approach cuts operating costs by 50 percent over an eight-year period, according to Motiv. With its medium-duty pilot shuttle, Motiv reduced operating cost from 80 cents per mile to 10 cents per mile.  

 “Motiv’s approach to the refuse market is the same as in other medium- and heavy-duty vehicle markets where we have worked before; find the best, most knowledgeable partners and build a team and product based on our combined expertise at a lower cost,” said Jim Castelaz, CEO of Motiv Power Systems.  “These partners enable us to deliver a vehicle to Chicago that is not a science project, but instead consists of industry-standard components with strong, experienced suppliers standing behind every aspect of the vehicle.”

Founded in 2009, Motiv Power Systems designs and builds a flexible ePCS for the commercial truck, bus, and refuse industries. The ePCS works with a wide variety of batteries and motors. This flexibility allows traditional truck chassis OEMs to assemble electric trucks on their current diesel truck assembly lines. Electric trucks equipped with Motiv’s ePCS can offer up to 100 miles range depending on the configuration. The system is available for medium- and heavy-duty commercial truck applications, including box trucks, flat/stake beds, refrigerated trucks, utility/service bodies, shuttle buses, delivery vehicles, and refuse trucks.