Emterra Environmental, a waste-to-resource management company based in Canada, has launched its first electric vehicle fleet consisting of eight Mack LR Electric refuse vehicles to operate in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Emterra Environmental said it also has a Mack LR Electric refuse vehicle operating in the Peel Region of Ontario, Canada, which was delivered in October 2023.

“We are excited that Emterra Environmental and the city of Courtenay and the town of Comox chose the Mack LR Electric refuse vehicle to help them accomplish their goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG),” Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America, said.

Emterra Environmental made the announcement during an event at Comox Marina Park, the town of Comox, British Columbia, Canada. Josie Osborne, minister of energy, mines and low-carbon innovation in British Columbia was in attendance alongside representatives of Emterra Environmental, BC Hydro-Power and Mack Trucks.

Emterra said it approached the city of Courtenay and the town of Comox with the opportunity of a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) fleet as part of Emterra’s multi-year contract with them for residential curbside collection.

The launch of the Mack LR Electric fleet is in line with the CleanBC Program, which has a goal of reducing climate-changing emissions by 40% by 2030, according to Emterra.

The eight Mack LR Electric models will begin operations in August and will service about 25,000 households and businesses, Emterra said. The LR Electric models are equipped with an automated side loader from Labrie and will be serviced by Nanaimo Mack.

Mack said its LR Electric offers a standard 376 kWh total battery capacity for 42% more energy and increased range between vehicle charges. Twin electric motors produce 448 continuous horsepower and 4,051 lb.-ft. of torque output from zero RPM. 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, according to Mack.