Practically two years after the town of Vancouver started on the lookout for an all-electric avenue sweeper to exchange its present fleet of diesel-powered sweepers, the town has but to make a purchase order.
“To date, we have yet to demo an all-electric sweeper that meets our need for 16 hours of runtime within a 24-hour period,” stated Brian Potter, operations superintendent for the town’s Public Works division.
In March 2023, World Surroundings Merchandise introduced its M4EV electrical plug-in avenue sweeper to Vancouver for an indication. Though metropolis officers and employees have been impressed by the first-of-its-kind sweeper and its zero-emission expertise, the hefty price ticket was an impediment. The zero-emission autos price upward of $700,000 — about double the worth for diesel sweepers. Town at the moment has 4 avenue sweepers operating routine shifts.
Town has checked out different electrical and hybrid sweepers since that first demonstration.
“We did recently demo a hybrid sweeper that met the 16-hour runtime need; however, the cost difference between the diesel and hybrid option was approximately $300,000,” Potter stated
Potter stated Public Works submitted automobile choices for consideration, but it surely was advised the town’s stormwater fund couldn’t help the extra price. Town is scheduled to exchange a sweeper in 2025.
“As we do with each replacement opportunity, we will demo electric, hybrid and diesel-powered sweepers, attempting to find a unit that meets our runtime requirements, meets or exceeds the performance requirements of the replaced unit, and falls within our allocated budget for replacement,” Potter stated.
Changing the town’s diesel-powered avenue sweepers with both electrical or hybrid fashions is a part of the town’s efforts to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions. Vancouver’s local weather plan, handed in 2022, requires decreasing emissions from municipal operations by 80 p.c by 2025.
Potter stated it could take time for the market to ship cost-competitive choices that meet the town’s wants.
“Our fleet team is committed to integrating cleaner, more advanced technologies whenever possible,” he stated.
Public Works will even be working intently with the local weather workforce subsequent yr to determine and apply for state grants that may offset the associated fee premiums for these choices, Potter stated.
“When we completed our most recent (greenhouse gas) inventory update in 2023, we found that our fleet’s switch from using traditional diesel to lower-carbon renewable diesel fuel was the largest single factor in reducing municipal (greenhouse gas) emissions since 2019,” he stated. “So, they do have something of a reputation to uphold as the sustainability champion here at the city.”