Piloting electric and hybrid trucks for waste collection in Calgary

The City of Calgary wishes to complete a pilot project to investigate the suitability and economic benefits of using electric and hybrid trucks to collect waste. To do so, the city will purchase one Class 7 or Class 8 hybrid refuse truck and one Class 7 or Class 8 battery-electric refuse truck and test them for one year. The purpose of the pilot is to determine the feasibility of long-term implementation of hybrid and/or electric refuse-collection trucks into the city's fleet, and how this could apply to other types of heavy-duty fleets in the city’s operations, such as snow plows or dump trucks. Calgary will define performance measures, complete a request for proposals for hybrid and electric trucks and associated equipment, buy and install the equipment, operate the trucks on the city’s waste-collection routes for a year, collect data, and monitor performance. The two trucks will remain in the city’s refuse-collection fleet after the test period is over. This initiative aligns with Calgary’s Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan to achieve an 80% city-wide carbon emissions reduction from 2005 levels by 2050. The main expected environmental benefits are reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and yearly fuel consumption. Innovative aspect(s): • Alternative fuel is well documented in the light-duty vehicle category, but it is fairly new in the heavy-duty category—refuse-collection vehicles present special challenges because of their additional requirements for performing lifts, compacting garbage and making frequent start/stops that are load-intensive • The Calgary pilot differs from similar previous initiatives because of its large municipal boundaries (longer routes for trucks to travel) and cold weather Replicability: This pilot has replication potential within Calgary because the city is interested in how the findings could apply to other types of heavy-duty vehicles in its fleet, such as snowplows. It could be of interest for many other Canadian communities with refuse-collection fleets in cold climates. The Municipal Climate Change Action Center (MCCAC) of Alberta is also a partner in the project, which strengthens this initiative’s knowledge-sharing potential. Environmental benefits: • Reduce average greenhouse gas emissions by 55% • Reduce average vehicle yearly fuel consumption by 60% • Reduce average diesel fuel usage (l/km) by 30% • Improve indoor garage work environment and outdoor collection environment (less noise and air pollution) • Reduce spill risk (removal of hydraulic actuators) • Reduce dependency on fossil fuel and increase demand for renewable energy Economic benefits: • Lower maintenance costs by decreased hydraulic fluid and oil dispensing, storage and disposal • Reduced exposure to carbon pricing • Increase in employment or job retention resulting from the new skills acquired to operate such vehicles Social benefits: • Reduction in public health risks associated with air pollution • Improved quality of life from noise reduction • Increase in public awareness of cleaner refuse-collection technology (Project description from original funding application)