Mack Trucks announced that the Mack Academy recently opened a new facility in Tinley Park, Illinois, to better support battery-electric vehicle (BEV) training and provide dealers and customers with access to training in the central U.S.

The move comes as the Mack LR Electric refuse model, Mack’s first fully electric Class 8 vehicle, is now available for order and is supported by dealers and training facilities in various locations across the U.S.

The Mack Academy signed a seven-year lease, with an option to renew, for the 14,865 square-foot Tinley Park facility located in a manufacturing park outside of Chicago.

“The Tinley Park Mack Academy is located in a central location so that dealers and customers needing training can easily travel to the facility,” said Scott Behe, Mack Academy senior manager of operations. “It is in close proximity to both O’Hare and Midway airports, and the facility is about 5,500 square feet bigger than our previous location, so it fulfills our need for more space for BEV-specific training.”

BEV coursework at Tinley Park is focused on BEV safety training, operation, repair, and sales. Other courses include diesel training such as engine overhaul, transmission design and function, and parts sales and warranty fundamentals.

The Tinley Park facility has two full-time trainers and offers technical training sessions up to four times a day. The site also features meeting spaces so those classes are not disrupted by technician training.