Mack Trucks to showcase Wrightspeed turbine-based extended range electric powertrain in Class 8 refuse truck
08 June 2016
At this week’s WasteExpo2016, Mack Trucks, one of North America’s largest manufacturers of heavy-duty Class 8 trucks, engines and transmissions, will showcase Wrightspeed’s The Route turbine-based extended range electric powertrain (earlier post) applied in a refuse truck.
Designed as a replacement for conventional piston engine and transmission systems, the award-winning Route is a range-extended electric vehicle powertrain that provides unlimited range and significantly reduced fuel costs for today’s refuse, delivery and mass transit markets. Wrightspeed counts FedEx, Ratto Group and New Zealand Bus as early Route customers.
On display at WasteExpo2016 will be a Mack LR model refuse collection truck chassis retrofitted with the Route 1000 powertrain.
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| LR model refuse collection garbage trucks chassis, retrofitted with Wrightspeed’s the Route 1000 powertrain. Click to enlarge. |
At Mack, our focus is delivering the best performing and most efficient products to our customers. While our LR model trucks are already providing our refuse customers with the finest driving and operating experience, we continually investigate technologies that advance our offerings. Wrightspeed’s The Route is a very interesting advanced technology that we’re pleased to showcase during WasteExpo.
—Curtis Dorwart, Mack’s refuse product manager
Capable of powering vehicles weighing up to 66,000 pounds up grades as steep as 40%, the Route provides the refuse market with the power-to-weight ratio needed for collection duty cycles.
Outfitted with 730kW regenerative braking power, as well as an 80kW, fuel agnostic Fulcrum Turbine Generator that charges on-board batteries, the powertrain kit gives the vehicles unlimited range with refueling.
Wrightspeed’s patented Geared Traction Drive (GTD) (earlier post) digitally drives each rear wheel of the vehicle, providing the slip control needed to operate in tough road conditions.
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| Route 1000 powertrain applied in a Class 8 refuse truck chassis. Click to enlarge. |
Located in Silicon Valley, Wrightspeed was founded by Ian Wright, co-founder of Tesla Motors.
Jet powered trucks - now we are talking.
You could put it on buses as well - on the top.
(Use them on airport routes)
Posted by: mahonj | 08 June 2016 at 10:20 AM
Good start, all we need is to see the only fuel going into the turbine to be renewable and it removes another function off fossil fuels.
Posted by: Bobcom52 | 10 June 2016 at 06:21 PM