30 battery, but it can also be integrated into the chassis using a common battery pack with single point of charge. Efficiency is improved throughout the refuse collection process. The auger requires less energy than a typical compactor ram and can be cleared more quickly; the lift arm has an eight second cycle time, with remarkably quiet and smooth operation to reduce driver fatigue; and the ejection panel is also efficiently driven by an electric motor. Canadian firm Boivin has also hit the market with its EVolution body, a 100% electric arm lifter with a 10 second cycle time and an electric auger compactor. Also designed with a 46 kWh onboard battery, this extra-light body, weighing in at less than 7.4 tonnes (16,400 lbs), aims to maximise payload and optimise efficiency. Its LiNMC high-density battery technology is lightweight, compatible with 240 V AC on the J1772 system and allows quick recharging, taking between four and eight hours on a Type 2 station. Powered heat pads are installed in the battery pack to maintain the battery at its best working condition and temperature. Mack has also worked with McNeilus to integrate their EPTO into its chassis. Instead of utilising the chassis’ electric motor to run the hydraulics, the body has its own electric motor that simply uses power from the battery on the chassis. That requires software and integration work, but it brings significant benefits for both parties. “We have worked with a lot of different body manufacturers and there are some other bodies that we’re integrating in the near future, but they’re just not running quite yet,” continues Fotopoulos. “Running an EPTO is not an easy task, though. It’s not a plug-andplay, and there is always integration work that needs to happen with the body manufacturers.” Into the future The first LRe – which features a coppercoloured Bulldog ornament to represent the fully electric drivetrain, went into real-world testing in New York with DSNY in September 2020. The city’s demanding environment made it the perfect place to evaluate the latest advancement and it was green-lit for production a year later. The final result is a vehicle that looks very familiar to users of the ICE version, with just a few small visible differences inside the cab – for example, the gauge cluster has a power meter showing kilowatts of energy consumption and the shift control has just two simple rocker switches instead of the usual shift pattern. On the exterior, the battery packs are clearly visible, with two on the rear of the cab and two on the chassis, on the frame behind the wheels. All the power electronics are packaged under the cab in a unit called the Modular Power Box (MPB), located in the space that was previously occupied by the diesel engine. The MPB houses the central charging unit, a traction voltage monitoring unit, electric control units, fuse panels, a relay centre, a junction box, 12 and 24 V batteries and DC-DC converters for the three electrical circuits – 12 V for in-cab accessories; 24 V for air compressors, power steering and air conditioner; and 600 V for drive motors and the EPTO. The thermal management system is mounted on the front of the assembly and the LRe uses the same radiator as its ICE equivalent, but with electricpowered fans instead of a dieseldriven solution. The two motors and transmission sit within the central spine of the chassis, providing power directly to the two rear axles. If successful, the LRe, combined with the electric actuator-driven garbage bodies, will eliminate that aforementioned agathokakological issue with recycling and refuse collection by delivering emissions-free operations. So far, however, sales have been slow, and September/October 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering Dossier | Mack Trucks LR Electric Charging and full-service support is an important part of the Mack LRe offering We have worked with a lot of body manufacturers and there are other bodies that we’re integrating in the near future
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