New electric refuse trucks move Madison, Wis., toward its goal of zero net emissions by 2030
In the summer of 2024, Madison, Wis., added two electric refuse trucks to its fleet. The city has been prioritizing moving toward electrification, alternative fuels or biofuel along with the city’s goal toward a greener future. With 1,400 vehicles in its fleet, the city now has 126 electric vehicles. This continues to move the city toward its goal of having the municipality be net zero emissions by 2030. Like most new vehicles in the city’s fleet, a vote was posted online to name the new electric refuse trucks. Names were submitted and narrowed down, then posted online for residents to vote. The new trucks are named Trash Gordon and Vin No Diesel.
The city is choosing and testing new green fleet options as they become available. As Bryan Johnson, streets division public information officer, emphasized, “We want to make certain they do the job we need them to do. We are working on how to green the fleet the best we can without sacrificing the work the public needs us to do for them.”
The city has a capital improvement plan with a budget that is used toward alternative technology in order to green the fleet, which was used in the purchase of the two electric refuse trucks. The process to get the trucks took longer, between 18 to 24 months. It was a large budget commitment that had to be planned out. Madison is now the first city in the state of Wisconsin to test out these electric refuse trucks.
With only a little over six months’ run time, the automated truck has done well but has been unable to complete a full normal route, which comprises approximately 800 carts. The automated rear loader has performed well, especially with large loads and leaf collection. The city is doing what it can to determine how to utilize both trucks to their greatest capacity. Considerations include putting the truck on a shorter route or whether the location of the charging port is too far away from the truck’s route. Early on, the city experienced some issues with the charger that have since been fixed. There are also certain emergency management concerns since trash needs to be picked up no matter what — for example, what if a tornado comes through and knocks out power, or how do subzero temperatures affect the range? The electric trucks have not yet had the ability to be tested in the cold weather. However, the city is testing these electric vehicles to find the parameters where the vehicles will most efficiently help the city.
After receiving a grant through the Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation supporting the purchase and introduction of electric vehicles to the fleet, the city began incorporating more electric vehicles as technology advanced and they became more affordable. Recently, Madison also piloted a Voltera electric fire truck. The city has accepted the first one off the production line, and it will be put into service soon. However, it is a big and costly undertaking for the city that will require charging stations to be put in place and additional training for the fire staff.
The majority of the electric vehicles in the fleet are light-duty cars, since the electric alternative can be chosen more easily with price and charging options. “We are expanding where we can,” Rachel Darken, assistant fleet superintendent, stated. “As equipment ages out, we are asking, ‘Where can we electrify that makes sense?’ We want the best use of tax dollars to see what best suits us.” Almost all forklifts in the fleet are electric. Electric backhoes and riding lawn mowers have also been tested.
Another aspect of going green involves the choice of biofuels in the city’s fleet. The city has been tracking carbon emission savings by switching to biodiesel or renewable diesel fuel since 2018. The city is testing renewable diesel to see how it fares in the Wisconsin climate. This year the city is planning to test out a new winter blend on the fleet. When possible, the city is also installing soy-based tires on duty equipment.
These vehicles are maintained by the city fleet technicians. Nearby technicians were also recently certified, which provides a great assist for city technicians so vehicles do not have to be taken far away for maintenance or repairs. With the electric vehicles, one of the greatest responses is how quiet they are. While Madison made a big deal about the electric refuse trucks coming on board, the greatest feedback received, according to Johnson, is, “I have not gotten a single complaint or compliment about them, which means they’re invisible. They are just operating normally and have been absorbed into the community and get the job done.”
Part of the puzzle toward net zero emissions is working on upgrades to many of the city’s older municipal buildings. With electric vehicles, these older buildings make it more difficult to renovate for charging stations for the electric vehicles. The city continues to look at ways to make renovations to these older buildings more renewable energy friendly. The new fleet building is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certified. When building new buildings, green options are taken into consideration. Solar panels are also installed with the city currently producing approximately two megawatt hours.
Another green initiative the city is moving forward with is small food scrap recycling. Previously, there were issues with hauling and contamination. A grant was received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set up a scrap drop-off at a local farmer’s market and take the scraps to a local urban farmer. This past year the city had scrap drop-off sites at three farmer’s markets. With the landfill reaching capacity, the city recently purchased a municipal golf course across the street from the current landfill that will be used as an additional landfill but also for a sustainability campus in order to divert as much as possible from the landfill.
“Long term, it will be interesting to learn what other cities have learned from this,” Johnson stated. A concern he has is using it for future recycling pickup. “It’s slow progress, but we are moving forward. We want to be wise about it and not rush.”
Madison continues to test out new technology as it becomes available to determine how to best use the city’s tax dollars while also working toward a green initiative whenever possible. Soon the city will be home to an electric fire truck. Out of the 1,400 vehicles in its fleet, 126 of those vehicles are now electric. (Photo provided by the city of Madison, Wis.) With only a little over six months of run time for the electric refuse trucks, the only real concern the city is working with is the fact that the automated truck is unable to completely finish a full route, which is roughly 800 carts. Certain issues being considered are that the route is too long for the truck or perhaps the route is too far from the charging station so the truck is unable to stay charged. One of the first issues faced by the city was an issue with the charger that has since been fixed. (Photo provided by the city of Madison, Wis.) In summer 2024, Madison Wis., was able to add two electric refuse trucks to its fleet. One is an automated truck that picks up trash from garbage cans along a route. The other is a rear loader that is used primarily for large loads and leaf collection. (Photo provided by the city of Madison, Wis.)
