Kiwi electric rubbish trucks start in Palmerston North on August 20

Two Kiwi-made electric rubbish and recycling trucks are due to start work in Palmerston North this month.

The Manco trucks bought by the Palmerston North City Council are expected to be launched there on August 20.

One will do glass recycling and the other waste collection, and the pair will also launch the start of the council’s plan to transition its vehicle fleet to electric.

Both trucks have a 180km range, and council logistics and support manager Paul Compton says they can be recharged in four to six hours overnight as they are mainly needed from 6am to 4pm daily.

The trucks, which Compton understands are among the first fully electric trucks built from scratch in New Zealand and not diesel conversions, have dual control so they can operated from both sides of the cab.

They will replace two leased diesel trucks.

The two fully electric trucks cost about $736,000, with a $350,000 grant from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) low emission vehicle contestable fund provided about this time last year to help with their purchase and charging infrastructure at the Awapuni Resource Recovery Park.

The council will be monitoring and reporting on the performance of the electric trucks compared to conventional trucks.