The City of Madison, which had no electric vehicles in its fleet just five years ago, has now deployed two Mack LR Electric Class 8 refuse trucks, the first Class 8 electric refuse trucks to enter service in Wisconsin. Madison currently has the largest municipal electric vehicle fleet in the state.

Earlier this week, Kriete Truck Centers and Mack Trucks officially handed over the two battery-electric refuse trucks to the city at the Madison dealership and service location. The city had already been using the trucks since mid-July.

“We are excited that the City of Madison chose Mack to fulfill its refuse collection needs while also helping them move the needle toward their sustainability goals,” said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. “Congratulations to the city for taking this important step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while offering a quieter solution for refuse and recycling operations. And thanks to Kriete Truck Centers for partnering with us on this delivery.”

Madison’s Mack LR Electric Models

The two zero-emission trucks delivered to the city are set up differently, featuring a Leach rear loader on one and a Labrie automated side loader (ASL) on the other. During the event, the city demonstrated how the ASL worked.

According to Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, the city added the two Mack LR Electric refuse models to its growing fleet of zero-emissions vehicles as a step toward achieving the goals set in its Climate Forward Agenda.

The goal is to achieve 100 percent renewable energy and net-zero carbon emissions for city operations by 2030 and community-wide by 2050. So far, the City of Madison has added more than 100 fully electric vehicles, including 62 electric buses that enter service this month, and 150 hybrids.

“Electrifying heavy-duty vehicles is on the forefront of zero-emissions technology. Madison will help demonstrate the performance of these new electric garbage trucks in real-world conditions and help quantify the long-term savings associated with eliminating fossil fuel costs and reducing maintenance expenses,” Rhodes-Conway said.

David Kriete, president and CEO of Kriete Truck Centers, said his company’s role is to provide customers with transportation solutions to help them achieve their goals.

“The City of Madison is committed to being good stewards of the environment, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to be part of their journey,” Kriete said.

George Fotopoulos, vice president of E-mobility, Mack Trucks, was on hand to explain the significance of the Mack LR Electric refuse trucks now rolling along the streets of Madison.

“What's the big deal about delivering a couple refuse trucks? Well, obviously, they're electric, so that makes it a big deal,” Fotopoulos said. “It's a significant step forward, and sustainable transport solutions for the state of Wisconsin and the City of Madison. The introduction of these electric vehicles is not just about replacing old trucks with new trucks. It's embarking on a new era of waste management.”

Fotopoulos explained that the Mack LR Electric models offer real-world benefits. Compared to diesel counterparts, they are more efficient, safer, quieter, and have lower emissions, resulting in a healthier community environment.

“The future of transportation and waste is actually here today, with these two vehicles behind us,” Fotopoulos added. “To the City of Madison, thank you. Thank you very much for your vision.”

Mack Trucks: E-Mobility Impact in Wisconsin

Although the Mack LR Electric refuse models are new to the City of Madison, Fotopoulos pointed out they are not the only fully electric Mack commercial vehicles. They now have a younger sibling, the Mack MD Electric.

Fotopoulos explained Mack launched the LR Electric in 2021 as its first battery-electric truck, but now the Mack electric offering has grown to include the Mack MD Electric, a medium-duty truck available in a Class 6 or Class 7 model.

He pointed out that the first medium-duty electric Mack Truck was retailed through Kriete Truck Centers in Wisconsin. In August, Mack Trucks handed over a Mack MD Electric to ABC Supply Co. in Beloit, Wisconsin. It was the first electric truck added to the ABC Supply Co. fleet.

ABC Supply is North America’s largest wholesale distributor of roofing and exterior and interior building products. The company purchased the MD Electric to test the integration of electric trucks into its operations.

“We will continue to launch more electric truck models to make more efficient trucks, but also to transition our fleet to a fully zero-emission truck fleet,” Fotopoulos said.

The Mack MD Electric is available as a Class 6 or Class 7 vehicle. The Class 6 model has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 25,995 pounds, and the Class 7 model has a GVWR of 33,000 pounds. Both models are exempt from the 12 percent Federal Excise Tax (FET).

Kriete: Supporting Electrification in Wisconsin

Kriete Tuck Centers has 10 full-line dealerships and was started 73 years ago by Henry Kriete, who previously worked for Mack Trucks. The company has grown to nearly 600 employees and more than $400 million in revenue.

David Kriete, the grandson of the founder, said the company makes decisions daily based on four groups of people: employees, customers, suppliers, and the community.

“I think what we're celebrating today is emphatically checking the box in all of those categories,” he said.

Kriete Truck Centers had to step up its game to be ready to sell and service battery-electric trucks. Technicians had to be trained, Kriete had to create dedicated EV service bays, the parts. service, and sales teams had to be certified, and charging stations were needed.

However, the Madison Kriete location got a jump on everything that was needed well in advance.

“We had talked to the city, and we knew this was coming, so we jumped on it,” David Kriete said as he elaborated that Kriete’s Madison location started working to prepare for electrification about two years in advance, with the installation of electric infrastructure taking about six months.

He said four more Kriete dealerships are electric certifying now. The longest of those four has taken about 18 months.

“I think getting certified and getting ready as soon as possible would be the biggest lesson,” Kriete said. “Our biggest lesson was realizing which markets do we want to invest in now, knowing that the first electric opportunity may not be 12, 18, 24, months down the road.”

Kriete’s Madison location now has 480 3-phase service and two chargers located in the lot outside its service center.

Powering the Mack LR Electric Refuse Trucks

Four NMC (nickel manganese cobalt oxide) lithium-ion batteries, charged through a 150 kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system, power the vehicle and all onboard accessories through 12V, 24V and 600V circuits.

The two-stage regenerative braking system helps recapture energy from the hundreds of stops the vehicle makes each day with an increasing load.

Mack Ultra Service Agreement

The City of Madison’s Mack LR Electric models are covered under the Mack Ultra Service Maintenance Agreement. The service agreement provides Mack LR Electric customers with a unique uptime package tailored specifically for the technical needs of battery-electric vehicles.

It includes scheduled maintenance, preventative maintenance, towing and repair, a battery monitoring service, and Mack’s connected uptime services in one package that can be included with monthly truck payments.

Mack GuardDog Connect

Mack GuardDog Connect, Mack’s integrated telematics solution, supports the LR Electric and its batteries. It helps customers achieve peak operating conditions and maximize uptime by monitoring battery health and performance and checking for fault codes and defects reported by the battery and electric components of the energy storage system.