World’s First 100% Electric RCV from an OEM Ready for Production : All New 100% Electric Refuse Collection Vehicle from Dennis Eagle
Leamington Spa, UK based refuse collection vehicle manufacturer, Dennis Eagle, has launched the eCollect, a 100% electric eRCV claimed to be the world’s first all-electric Refuse Collection Vehicle from an OEM.
The company said that follwoing exhaustive tests and the most thorough verification process, its all-electric refuse collection vehicle is all set to go into production – two years after the prototype vehicle was unveiled at the IFAT show in Germany.
Dennis Eagle Managing Director Kevin Else said: “The timing of the launch has been determined by two processes. First we had to ensure the infrastructure needed for running electric trucks was sufficiently developed to make it practical for operators.
“Secondly, we needed to be certain that the technology used in the vehicle was tried, tested and 100% proven. And it is.”
The first production vehicle combines the highly manoeuvrable 6x2 rear-steer Elite Narrow chassis with the 19m3 Olympus Narrow body to optimise the balance between its ability to work in restricted spaces and the payload it can carry. Fitted with a Terberg automatic split bin lift, the vehicle will be reassuringly familiar to drivers, crews and engineers.
Extensive tests
But while most components of the vehicle have been proven in action on our conventional RCVs for several years, the company said that its determination to ensure the eCollect was 100% ready for frontline operations has led it to put every one of them through comprehensive validation tests once again as part of the new vehicle.
This barrage of checks include climate chamber tests in temperatures ranging from -10 OC to +41OC and accelerated durability trials to emulate 10 years’ worth of wear and tear in just a few months. The performances of parts have been assessed on a range of road surfaces with different gradients and variable terrains at specialist proving grounds where all new Dennis Eagle products are put through their paces.
The new components – the electric drivetrain and battery pack system – have been fine-tuned and put through a myriad of additional tests, with two clear goals in mind: to ensure both the total functional safety and operational efficiency of these electrical systems.
Thousands of hours work have been put into Functional Safety Checking to ensure it is as safe to drive and operate as possible.
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