New York City Tests Hybrid Dump Trucks With 500 Pound Battery

In a move to “Green” their operations, NYC is currently testing dump trucks that run on a 120-kilowatt electric motor powered by a 500-pound lithium battery.

Since most technologies recycle energy generated when vehicles start and stop, these type of commercial vehicles are perfect for the technology with their constant acceleration and stops every 20 feet or so.

The dump trucks are the first in a line of planned commercial vehicles to receive the technology and thanks to their strong build factors it was a perfect marriage of technologies with the trucks already built to support tonnes of waste at one time. Essentially, a 500 pound battery is nothing for these trucks.

The trucks, for what it’s worth, still look like dump trucks, which means there shouldn’t be any complaints from city dwellers. One driver even said they accelerate better and run smoother than the traditional gas filled alternatives.

Considering the number of commercial vehicles getting 5-10mpg (city driving) on a daily basis, I have to applaud NYC for taking this first step, although it should have happened years ago, even with lower level technologies.