It’s not
just fancy sports cars or even reasonable commuter vehicles that are getting
the sustainable treatment. The e-car
rockstars at Tesla, in partnership with Mack, have also developed a
non-fossil-fuel dependent garbage truck, with a special modification…
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| It's still trying to help the environment, even if your non-recycling, plastic-bag addicted self isn't. (Image courtesy popsci.com.) |
According
to xtraqt.com, Tesla and Mack unveiled their new creation at the Waste Expo 2016,
to great acclaim. The new model uses the
same hybrid electric car technology that Tesla is famous for, but also includes a
regenerative braking system that allows the truck’s battery to recharge each
time it stops.
Regenerative
braking is a means of harnessing the power of momentum inherent to the truck,
which is generally lost when the truck comes to a stop. In some places, such as Japan, there are even
regulations on shutting down at stop lights so as to conserve power. However, using the regenerative system, this
power is stored and “recycled” back into the truck for when motion commences
again.
This
sort of system is popular in airplanes and some hybrid vehicles, but has yet to
make the leap into commercial trucks…until now. It could make a noteworthy dent in the fuel consumption of trucks or buses...up to 67%. Less emissions and less routine maintenance are also inherent to the design.
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| You can learn more about how regenerative braking works here. (Image courtesy explainthatstuff.com.) |
The powertrain, created by Tesla co-founder Ian Wright's company Wrightspeed (in association with Mack), is suitable for vehicles up to 66,000 lbs, and is rated
for commercial use. It uses a
natural-gas turbine to help quiet the system, so in the future you might not be
so roughly awakened when the garbage trucks come barreling through your
neighborhood in the morning.
This is
not to say the Tesla camp is shifting focus from its current massive demand for
cars. Wright
explained, “We don’t make vehicles, we
just make powertrains."
“There’s a battery pack that you can charge from the grid, and there’s a
range-extender generator which can burn fuel, make electricity and keep the
battery pack charged so that you don’t run out of range.”
Keep those (junkyard) doggies rollin’!
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| Shipping the future: one of Wrightspeed's powertrain models. Learn more about their products here! (Image courtesy www.wrightspeed.com.) |
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