Now that the Windy City has rolled out the country’s first all-electric garbage truck, some Chicago residents will no longer have the loud clanging and screeching of an approaching trash truck as a reminder to take out the trash.
Built by Motiv Park Systems, not only do these these planet-friendly trucks (called Electric Refuse Vehicles or ERVs) run on a nearly silent motor, they also don’t emit any pollution comes from their tailpipes since they are 100 percent electric, Fast Company writes.
“Besides dramatically lower fuel and maintenance cost, value of the ERV goes beyond strict payback,” Motiv Founder and CEO Jim Castelaz says in a press release. “Each truck offsets over 55 barrels of petroleum and 23 tons of carbon dioxide each year. Plus, no one wants large, noisy truck engines idling next to their house at 6 am when they could have clean, and quieter ERV’s keeping the morning peace instead.”
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Gizmodo reports that if the trial run of the first ERV proves successful, Chicago will add up to 20 more of these trucks to its municipal trash fleet over the next five years at the cost of $13.4 million.
Even with the steep price tag, the city is poised to save a lot of money since it won’t be spending it on dirty diesel. We previously reported that Motiv Power Systems was the company responsible for rolling out California’s electric school buses (also a nationwide first), with each bus saving $10,000 each year in fuel and maintenance for the Kings Canyon unified school district.
As electric cars are becoming more and more popular, it’s clear that America is embracing a cleaner — and yes, quieter — alternative.
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