OR welcomes its first all-electric garbage truck to the streets of Portland
The state’s first all-electric garbage truck has arrived on the streets of downtown Portland. (Courtesy PGE)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Nearly a year after Oregon announced its commitment to zero-emission vehicles, the state’s first all-electric garbage truck has hit the streets of downtown Portland.
On Thursday morning, the Peterbilt Model 520EV was deployed for the first time in the North Park Blocks. From now on, the garbage truck will serve East Portland — a community that Portland GE says is “disproportionately impacted by climate change and air quality concerns.”
According to the manufacturer, the zero-emission truck takes three hours to charge and can hold up to 1,100 trash cans.
The vehicle is owned and operated by City of Roses Disposal and Recycling. The company covered the costs with the help of the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, funded by PGE’s Drive Change Fund.
“We are proud to work with customers and community members to demonstrate what is possible in diverse industries in building an economy increasingly powered by electricity from renewable resources,” said Nick Blosser, vice president of public affairs for The Gas Company.
According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Equity, about 35% of the state’s emissions come from the transportation sector. The state’s electric garbage truck, as well as a rule approved by ODEQ that will ban the sale of new gas-powered passenger vehicles in 2035, aim to make up for that.
PGE says the new truck will reduce emissions and noise for East Portland residents, as well as create training opportunities for waste management workers.
“This important milestone for COR will create green jobs for our community, while connecting social, economic and environmental justice in ways our economy has never seen before,” Alando Simpson, CEO of COR Disposal and Recycling, added in a statement.
The new garbage truck will join other zero-emission vehicles appearing on Portland’s streets.
TriMet added more battery-powered buses to its fleet this year. Portland Public Schools also launched its first electric school buses in the spring.
