An electric side-loader garbage truck lifts a trash can in Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. This truck was paid for by the City of Tucson using environmental services funds and will participate in a pilot-program to be utilized on a residential refuse and recycling route throughout the city.
The City of Tucson has unveiled its first electric-powered garbage truck.
The side loader can operate for up to 8 hours on a single charge with a 400 kilowatt battery and has a tonnage capacity of 8 tons per payload.
It will also be implemented as a pilot program to obtain feedback to inform the city’s transition to a total electric fleet by 2030 and in alignment with the city’s EV Readiness Roadmap that was adopted in 2021.
Pat Tapia, deputy director of Tucson’s environmental and general services says the truck will be used on residential routes, for refuse and recycling.
“It’s a testing phase, so being the first electric truck that we’re going to be using in the city of Tucson gives us an opportunity to experiment a little bit and see where it’s best utilized in what part of the city,” Tapia said.
The truck’s charge port will be at the Thomas O. Price Service Center on Park Avenue and service about 750 cans on a single charge.
Tucson selected the Ohio-based company Battle Motors to manufacture the model because it had the best visibility out of the cab Tapia said.
“The body itself is actually the scorpion body which is actually [what] we have on all our refuse trucks,” he said. “Maintenance will be the same.”
The model has a quieter engine compared to other trucks and won’t be generating greenhouse gas emissions– factors that Mayor Regina Romero appreciates.
She said that the city’s vehicle fleet is one of the biggest contributors to pollution within the community.
“Greenhouse gasses are not just bad for our environment, they’re bad for public health,” Romero said.
“We will continue investing in the science that we know to be true for the quality of life and the environment here in Tucson,” Romero said.
This particular truck was purchased with environmental services funds, ratepayers funds worth $726,737.
A compressed natural gas garbage truck costs about $540,000.
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