We drove the first all-electric street sweeper in the US, coming to LA soon
Battle Motors and Elgin Sweeper Company have collaborated to put the first all-electric street sweeper into service in the US, and we got to drive it.
The city of Los Angeles unveiled the new electric sweeper last month, and it’s putting it into service this year, mainly in a test capacity to see how it would work in the city’s fleet. The city has committed to transition to 100% clean energy by 2035, and this is part of that effort.
While the vehicle was unveiled just a couple of weeks ago, it’s been touring around various expos, touting its existence as the first all-electric street sweeper to be put into service in the US. We got to take it for a spin around the parking lot at Irwindale Speedway during an event put on by Velocity Truck Centers, a commercial truck dealer network that serves the Southwest US and distributes Battle Motors’ electric trucks. (We also drove Battle Motors’ electric garbage truck at the same event.)
Unlike the garbage trucks, we only took the street sweeper for a quick spin around the parking lot. There weren’t a lot of surprises; it felt and sounded about like what you’d expect a street sweeper to be like.
We did notice a little quirk where the powertrain seemed to have significant inertia in it – on short, hard acceleration-then-braking events, the truck would keep accelerating for a moment after letting off the accelerator. This isn’t likely to come up often in a large vehicle that mostly does consistent low speeds, but it’s something for drivers to be aware of (or for Battle to perhaps iron out in the software).
Given that this is the first electric street sweeper to go into service, fleet managers haven’t had many chances to see how they work. So events like these let them get behind the wheel and see it work in person – just to prove that, yes, these trucks do work fine, have plenty of power to get around, can push dust just as well as the diesel versions can, and so on.
Elgin, who built the body on Battle Motors’ chassis, mentioned that one benefit of an electric powertrain is the ability to customize drive software for easier operation. Sweepers like to do slow, consistent speeds, and software can be configured to automatically creep at whatever speed the operator wants, which isn’t so easy in a diesel truck. Elgin said they can put in other software customizations depending on the buyer’s needs.
For drivers, the lack of vibration from the engine can help make driving easier on the body. And, of course, the lack of pollution from a tailpipe is a major benefit for workers and neighborhoods alike.
That said, some benefits of electric drive are less pronounced with street sweepers. For example, while electric trucks are quieter due to the lack of a diesel engine, much of the noise from a street sweeper comes from brushes on the road, so only one source of noise is removed in this case.
Battle Motors’ philosophy has been not to shake the boat too much when it comes to laying out powertrain parts, choosing to mount the motor up front and deliver power to the axles through a driveshaft rather than an e-axle. For the street sweeper, the rear end is a much dirtier place, with lots of gunk and grime as well as water spraying all over the place, so they figured it would be wise to keep more sensitive components away from the part of the vehicle that is likely to experience the most corrosion.
This expands to other choices in vehicle design, like using hydraulic power steering instead of electronic. While electronic power steering is generally simpler and cheaper to implement, in a time when EVs will necessarily only be part of a fleet (so far), it makes it easier for fleet mechanics to work on alternate powertrains when the rest of the vehicle’s parts are similar.
The Battle Motors/Elgin Electric Broom Bear comes at a cost of over $800,000. This is double the price of a diesel street sweeper but is actually about $100,000 cheaper than the hybrid CNG-electric sweepers LA purchased last year.
While this is quite a big price jump, the electric sweeper will have lower fuel and maintenance costs, will qualify for both federal and state incentives, and will also produce less pollution.
Heavy-duty vehicles produce more than their fair share of pollution, and taking this pollution out of communities where people live comes with great benefits for a city. We’ve already seen improvements in air quality from higher electric car use in Los Angeles specifically, so the city knows that there are greater benefits to EVs than just fuel savings.
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On today’s informative episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got Honda engineers Jason Hwang and Emilio Sanchez to talk us through some of the things that make the GM Ultium-based Honda Prologue EV feel like a real Honda, and why that matters.
Jason and Emilio talk about some of the choices they made to make the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX feel different from its GM-branded cousins, and explain why this was much more than a case of badge-engineering. Give it a listen, then let us know what you think of the Prologue and ZDX in the comments.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Learn more by clicking here.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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The first EV charging hub funded by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program in the Eastern US is now online in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The town installed the region’s first DC fast chargers (four ports), along with four Level 2 chargers, at 59 North Main Street in South Deerfield.
These new charging stations, funded with $2.46 million from the CFI program, are conveniently located near Interstate 91 in Franklin County, the most rural county in Massachusetts, which serves drivers from Connecticut up to the Canadian border.
The hub also features local and regional bus stops and designated bike lanes with secure onsite bike racks. The chargers are meant to cater to everyone: from local residents and visitors to municipal EVs and commercial vehicles that service the region’s businesses, like those in food and beverage manufacturing.
Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, sees this as a model for future projects:
Multi-modal charging hubs in communities are key to giving more people the choice to ride and drive electric. The Town of Deerfield is showing leadership in building out convenient charging infrastructure that brings new transportation choices to rural and disadvantaged communities while supporting local commerce.
In recent years, Deerfield has experienced increased climate change-driven flooding from nearby rivers, including the Deerfield River, the Connecticut River, and the Bloody Brook. The project incorporates environmental engineering designed to mitigate and adapt to the effects of flooding and climate, including the installation of permeable asphalt and rain gardens, planting of native trees, grasses, and shrubs, and the creation of new greenspace in the center of Deerfield.
The Biden-Harris administration’s CFI Grant Program is expanding EV infrastructure nationwide. It offers grants for projects that complement and expand upon the initiatives of the NEVI program in urban, rural, and disadvantaged and low-income communities. So far, the CFI Grant Program has allocated over $1 billion to nearly 100 projects across the US, encouraging private investments and expanding the EV charging network to make EV ownership more practical and convenient.
Read more: The US reaches milestone of 200,000+ public EV charging ports
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Kia’s upcoming EV4 electric sedan was just spotted testing in the US for the first time. The low-cost EV is expected to make its big debut by the end of the year. Here’s a look at the new model.
The EV4 will round out Kia’s new “EVs for all” master plan launched last year. Kia showcased three new models, the EV3, EV4, and EV5, during its first annual EV Day in October 2023.
During the event, Kia outlined its new global strategy to “lead and accelerate the EV revolution” with a wide range of models priced from $30,000 to $80,000.
Kia plans to rapidly expand its lineup with a series of smaller, lower-priced models. It launched the EV9, its first three-row electric SUV, which is already proving to be a hot seller in the US. Starting at under $55,000, the EV9 is still a great deal compared to others in its class, but Kia plans to go even lower.
The EV3 and EV4 are expected to be among the most affordable electric vehicles when they arrive in the US.
Kia’s new EV4 is now testing in the US
Ahead of its official debut, Kia’s new EV4 sedan was recently caught driving on US streets for the first time.
The latest image from KindelAuto doesn’t reveal much more than what’s been shown in the past, but the fact that it’s now testing in the US is significant.
Kia’s EV3 is already on sale in Korea, starting at around $30,000 (42.08 million won). Earlier this week, the company said its new compact SUV is now available across Europe, starting at around $38,000 (36,000 euros) with a “segment-leading range” of up to 375 miles (WLTP).
Next up will be the EV4. Kia is expected to officially reveal the new EV by the end of the year, with deliveries starting in 2025. It could be as soon as next week at the 2024 LA Auto Show.
The interior will feature Kia’s advanced new ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens. An otherwise minalimalistic design is expected inside.
Kia’s EV4 will also be available in a hatchback variant. Although the hatch is likely aimed at European buyers, it was also recently spotted testing in the US for the first time.
We will learn official prices closer to launch, but the EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Kia is teasing five new vehicles for the US, at least one being a new EV, that will debut at the LA Auto Show next week. Will it be the EV3? EV4?
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