Recycling UK-based rubbish trucks with electric powertrains

Mirroring Kiwi engineer Ian Wright and the Wrightspeed (now Revo) venture in repowering old rubbish trucks in the USA with electric technology, a UK company says its upcycled EV trucks are a better alternative than brand new vehicles.  

Lunaz Group UK co-founder David Lorenz says the COP27 November climate change conference is a reminder than the world needs to act with a more sustainable mindset regarding transportation and mobility. 

“The remanufactured and upgraded refuse trucks we’ve started with harness the power of upcycling as they are cleaner, cheaper, and better equipped than an all-new battery electric alternative could ever be,” Lorenz says.

“When we hired an independent audit, our upcycled refuse truck was proven to save more than 80% of the embedded carbon compared to manufacturing from scratch,” he says.

The Lunaz Group remanufactures and electrifies passenger, commercial and industrial vehicles through three distinct companies. Lunaz Design converts classic cars to electric powertrains. Lunaz Applied Technologies re-engineers specialist industrial fleet vehicles to factory new standard and converts them to the Lunaz proprietary electric powertrain.

Lunaz Powertrain provides the Lunaz proprietary modular powertrain as a turn-key product for OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and independent automotive engineering businesses.

“We launched the Upcycled Electric Vehicle (UEV) programme within our Lunaz Applied Technologies arm a few years ago,” Lorenz says. 

“Starting with a refuse truck, we remanufacture it to remove the diesel engine, swapping to an electric powertrain, and at the same time upgrade the cabin to be safer and more ergonomic for the driver.

“If we can upcycle refuse trucks, imagine what other transportation methods could benefit from this ethos? 

“We’re happy to contribute one element of such a vast infrastructure and demonstrate how much it helps local authorities and fleet operators in their goals towards reaching net-zero emissions,” he says. 

Lunaz was founded in 2018 and, following the launch of the world’s first electric Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Range Rover and Jaguar sports cars, secured growth capital investment in 2021 from the Barclay, Reuben and Dallal families as well as David Beckham.

The group has committed long-term to Britain and specifically Silverstone as its global HQ.

From here, the group will manage a network of manufacturing facilities placed in proximity to its major global markets. North America is also firmly in the company’s sights with discussions underway with States seeking to build long-term clean tech jobs growth.