This electric trash truck test vehicle was driven by Des Moines Public Works staffers recently. Screenshot via a City of Des Moines video
Des Moines' first electric-powered garbage truck was approved for purchase Monday by the City Council.
Why it matters: It's a big step in the city's goal of a carbon-neutral operation.
- DSM's 35 trash trucks account for less than 4% of its vehicle fleet but consume about half of its 437K gallons of annual diesel usage.
State of play: The new truck is custom ordered and cost about $705,000.
- It will take at least a year before it hits the streets, Public Works director Jonathan Gano said in a video posted by his department Tuesday.
Of note: Electric trash trucks cost upwards of $200K more than diesel powered ones, but maintenance and fuel/energy costs are lower and produce long-term savings, according to the Asbury Park Press.
- New York City and Toms River, New Jersey, are among the first local governments to use them.
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