Queensland electric garbage truck trial

Volvo Trucks Australia has announced a new partnership with waste management contractor JJ’s Waste and Recycling for a trial of the Volvo FE Electric truck in waste operations. 

The three-month trial will take place on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and aims to provide insights into the impact of electric trucks on range and productivity.

The Volvo FE Electric, affectionately named “Oscar” by the Volvo Group Australia team, is a 6×2 model that has been fitted with a rear-loading 16 cubic metre waste body, making it ideal for urban operations.

With four Gen 2 batteries and a capacity of 265kWh, the FE Electric has a potential range of up to 220km.

“The electromobility and waste management really do go hand in hand,” said Volvo Trucks Australia vice president  Gary Bone.

“The stop-start nature of this application in densely populated urban areas should prove to be a promising zero-emissions solution for our cities.”

JJ’s Waste and Recycling operations manager Joe Branagan added: “This is the perfect opportunity for us to understand how we can decarbonise our fleet over time.

“Clearly, we can’t just switch to electric overnight, so partnerships like the one we have with Volvo Trucks are vital to see what applications we can put electric trucks to work in now as well as what the future of zero-emissions waste management could look like.”

The FE Electric has a potential payload of up to seven tonnes, depending on the positioning of the waste body and corresponding front axle load. 

Volvo Trucks Australia is optimistic about the potential of electric trucks in waste applications, citing recent developments in battery technology that have increased range and charging performance.

“Waste management in densely populated urban areas makes electric trucks a promising zero-emissions solution,” said Mr Bone.

This trial marks the first time the Volvo FE Electric is being used for waste management services in Australia.

It follows a successful delivery of the FE Electric to logistics partner Geodis earlier this year, which marked Volvo’s first electric truck sale in Australia.

Additionally, Volvo Trucks Australia has been actively exploring the capabilities of electric trucks in the broader transport and logistics sector.

In 2022, it began trials using the larger FL Electric, which was leased from logistics and supply chain operator Linfox, which has been utilising these trucks since September 2021 for goods delivery.