The Volvo FE Electric truck will collect waste in the districts of Židenice, Slatina and Černovice, and will be joined by more such vehicles next year. Photo credit: SAKO Brno.
Brno, Aug. 16, (BD) – From the second half of August, the streets of Brno will see the first fully electric waste collection truck in the Czech Republic. Belonging to the municipal waste company SAKO Brno, the Volvo FE Electric truck will collect waste in the districts of Židenice, Slatina and Černovice, and will be joined by more such vehicles next year.
“After the successful testing of an electric truck in spring, we proceeded to purchase a vehicle for the collection of municipal waste,” said Filip Leder, chairman of the board of directors of SAKO Brno. “This is the first vehicle of our future emission-free fleet.”
While a typical garbage truck travels a little over 2,000 kilometres a month, burning approximately 450 litres of diesel, the new electric truck is completely emission-free, with no nitrogen oxide or CO2 emissions. According to Petr Hladík (KDU-CSL), 1st Deputy Mayor of Brno, other advantages include its quiet operation and low operating costs. The constant starting and stopping during waste collection is especially energy-intensive for a diesel garbage truck, whereas the electric truck will move almost inaudibly and without exhaust gases. “All you can hear from an electric garbage truck is the brakes, the signal when reversing, and the sound of the containers being emptied,” said Hladík.
Brno will use its own renewable energy sources to charge the vehicle, from both the growing urban photovoltaic network and also the Brno “incinerator”, otherwise known as the Waste Energy Utilization Facility, which creates energy from burning waste.
“Currently, the municipal company SAKO Brno produces around 60 to 80 thousand MWh of electricity per year from waste, and after the construction of another incineration boiler, this amount will almost double.. Municipal photovoltaics will generate at least another 43 GWh of energy per year within five years,” said Hladík.
The city also plans to build a network of charging stations. There will be a large charging centre on the premises of SAKO Brno, which can also be used by the public. According to Leder, photovoltaic panels primarily intended for charging garbage trucks will be installed on the premises of the Collection Division, as well as on the roof of the large-capacity sorting line that is currently being completed.
