BYD's new Class 8 battery-electric refuse truck represents the first heavy-duty refuse truck designed and built by an original equipment manufacturer and is 100% battery electric. The company formally introduced the truck at ACT Expo on May 3, and it is now available for purchase and deployment.

BYD’s 10-ton payload refuse truck provides 76 miles of range with minimal battery degradation. The truck is a cab and chassis platform, which includes the batteries, high voltage control system, all-electric propulsion system, and electric power take off (ePTO) for powering the hydraulic system to operate the refuse truck bodies. This platform is designed to integrate with all of the major refuse truck body builders in North America and can be configured as a side loader, automated side loader, front loader, rear loader, or roll off.

Because the entire system was designed with electric propulsion in mind, the vehicle features optimized efficiency, maintenance, and usability throughout its life, according to BYD.

Fleet managers can expect more than $13,000 of operational cost savings annually based on service routes of 60 miles per day/five days a week. These savings are due to high-efficiency electric motors and motor controls, as well as lower maintenance on propulsion systems, fewer fluids to change, less brake wear due to regenerative braking technology, and fewer moving parts. Manufactured in California, the BYD refuse truck is compliant with FMVSS and CMVSS regulations.

The BYD battery-electric refuse truck can charge at 40 kW, 80 kW, 100 kW, or 200 kW rates, requiring between one and five hours to charge depending on the power interface used. BYD’s refuse truck battery technology allows for a projected 80% capacity after 5,000 cycles, or 14 years if charged every day.