In a bid to clean up its streets in more ways than one, the city of Madison, Wisconsin has added two Class 8 electric trucks to its garbage fleet earlier this year in the form of a pair of Mack Electric LR HDEVs … and the city already has plans to add two more.

In 2017, the city of Madison became the 25th North American city to set a zero-net carbon goal for for city operations by 2030 and the city as-a-whole by 2050. To that end, the city has begun electrifying its heavy truck and equipment fleet with the deployment of two Mack Electric LR HDEVs – reportedly the first two Class 8 BEVs to deployed in America’s dairy land.

“One of the reasons we’re going all-in on electrification is because it’s better for the environment,” explains Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “These refuse trucks hit every single block in the city of Madison. That is a lot of diesel fumes in our neighborhoods. If we can take even one diesel truck off of the streets … it is a win for our community.”

The big Class 8 Mack Trucks are powered by a pair of electric motors putting 400 combined kW (about 536 hp) through a 2-speed Mack Powershift transmission that offers a barely believable 4,051 lb-ft of peak torque output. That’s over 40% more power than the first generation LR Electric released in 2019 – and this iteration can charge the 376 kWh batteries fully in under two hours at 150 kW.

The two trucks are charged overnight at the city’s truck depot, using a pair of ChargePoint-provided DCFC dispensers.

“Five years ago, Madison had no electric vehicles in its fleet,” continued Mayor Rhodes-Conway. “Today, we have more than 100 full electric vehicles, 150 hybrids, and, thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, 62 new electric buses that will serve our bus rapid transit system. Electrifying heavy-duty vehicles is on the forefront of zero-emissions technology. Madison will help demonstrate the performance of these new electric garbage trucks in real-world conditions and help quantify the long-term savings associated with eliminating fossil fuel costs and reducing maintenance expenses.”

Electrek’s Take

Municipalities all over the country are starting to understand that electric garbage trucks offer real advantages – and not just financial or environmental ones – that make life for people who live and work with and near them a whole lot better. Madison’s mayor obviously gets it, and these two Mack HDEVs will surely not be the last.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Mack Trucks, via Facebook.

With Camp Mode, Tesla started a new era for car campers. Quiet climate control, a multimedia entertainment display, a glass roof, and a large rear flat compartment area that easily fits most 6′ adults with a mattress mean that hotels on long solo drives are now optional. It can also be a nice camping option for those who don’t want to sleep on the ground, a convenient nap spot, or a nice place to relax and (Netflix and?) chill with that special someone.

When my dad got sick during Covid, I spent a lot of time on the road driving from New York to Ohio. I’d leave at night and usually start to get tired somewhere near the middle of Pennsylvania. Instead of getting a COVID-friendly hotel room, I’d just pull into a parking spot near or adjacent to a Supercharger. At the time, I was using a Havnby roll-out mattress, which was comfortable but really didn’t have the back support of a thicker mattress. Because I only planned to sleep about 4-5 hours, the mattress worked mostly fine and saved much time and money.

Unfortunately, the rollout mattress has some downsides. For one, it leaves lots of room on the sides and below for things to fall down. Phones, glasses, and wallets were all susceptible to these gaps, especially after tossing and turning. The worst part is that the pillow would often fall down behind/between the front seats.

Also, in terms of support, the mat doesn’t have great support for hips and back and required occasional mid-sleep movement to avoid pain.

So that’s where the larger inflatable mattress comes in…

Havnby’s air mattress fits inside a bag that can be stored in the Model Y subfloor “tub” or in the frunk for emergencies and that’s where mine usually lives. I also can easily fit some sheets, a blanket and a pillow/case as well. This is nice because you never know when the sandman is going to come in the middle of a long drive.

Deploying the air mattress can be done in under 60 seconds and as you can see in the video above, can be done with one hand. Steps:

• Put down the back seats (can be done from rear)
• Open Tub false floor and put bag on floor.
• Lay out deflated mattress with inflator on your left side
• Find 12V lighter adapter and plug into lighter receptacle. Turn dial to “inflate”.
• As it inflates, grab sheets and put them on
• Grab pillow and blanket and it is sleep time!

The air mattress expands to the edges of the seats and rear compartment and hugs the doors and wheel wells, not only ensuring the maximum amount of car camping square footage but also making it hard for things to fall around the sides. At 4.5-inches of thickness and sloping to 7 degrees of the rear seat incline, the air mattress, when inflated, is many times more comfortable than the other mats. I’ve noticed that it stays inflated particularly well over not just one but multiple nights.

If I had one complaint, it would be the quality of the 12V adapter wire, which seems a little tiny. I haven’t had problems in months of use, but if I had to guess which part would eventually wear/break, it would be this. Of course, this would be a quick and cheap repair.

Tesla does make its own similarly-priced air mattress for the Modely Y but it is thinner, has a separate inflator and is typically out of stock.

If space and budget are flexible, you can do what I do and put a mat mattress on top of the air mattress for the most comfortable, yet still portable solution. With the glass roof and premium sound, I’m tempted to forgo my regular bed and sleep on clear nights under the stars!

The experience has been amazing. You can listen to music or watch movies in a glass-roofed, temperature-controlled environment.

Grab the Havnby Tesla Model Y mattress ($249) or many of their other Tesla accessories at the online store and get a free gift. Makes an amazing holiday present for hard to shp for Tesla Model 3/Y owners. Check out other gift ideas in Electrek’s Tesla Shop.

Audi is embracing its future in China with the launch of a new Chinese market electric sub-brand called AUDI that ditches the iconic “four rings” logo in favor of four capital letters – but one thing it hasn’t ditched is AUDI Audi’s sexy teutonic long-roof design language.

As you might expect from an Audi-issued press release that claims AUDI is a new and distinctive thing that’s totally separate from Audi, it’s a difficult and confusing read. Check out this sample and you’ll see what I mean:

The first premium car brand to enter the Chinese market back in 1988, Audi was a pioneer. As it launches its new brand AUDI in cooperation with SAIC, the company now underlines its claim to this role. AUDI is shaped 100-percent by the Audi DNA and embodies “Vorsprung durch Technik” in the era of electric intelligent connected vehicles. The AUDI E concept car was jointly developed by experts from both Germany and China. It offers a preview of three future production models to be introduced from mid-2025.

Audi Media Center

Which – I dunno. Maybe you’re smarter than me and this all makes sense. Regardless, Audi seems serious about this new AUDI thing, and the first vehicle to debut wearing the new nameplate does seem to share in the Audi DNA we’ve come to know, if only because it’s an AWD wagon and not a more generically-shaped SUV.

The AUDI E concept, itself

Co-developed with Chinese auto giant SAIC, the AUDI E Concept is about 4.8 meters long, putting it squarely in that BMW 5-series, Mercedes-Benz E-class range typically inhabited by the A6. Powered by two electric motors (one at each axle) putting out 570 kW (~765 hp) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque to the ground through “signature” Audi quattro four-wheel drive, which enables the AUDI to rocket from 0-60 mph in about 3.5 seconds.

The concept car is equipped with a 100 kWh battery pack that AUDI parent company Audi says is good for up to 700 km of range (~430 miles) on the Chinese cycle. The wagon’s Advanced Digitized Platform also boasts an 800 volt system architecture that enables “super-fast” charging, adding more than 220 miles (370 km) of range just 10 minutes.

Electrek’s Take

Audi’s official press release says that the use of “AUDI” in lieu of the nearly century-old Auto Union rings “signals both the connection to, and differentiation from, the sister brand.” Now, call me cynical, but that seems both confusing and somewhat cowardly to me – if Audi wants to sell more affordable models in China under a different brand name, it already has one: Volkswagen.

Creating an AUDI that isn’t really an Audi is just bizarre, and I can’t imagine this move helping create the kind of positive energy that VW and Audi needs to dig themselves out of trouble.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Audi.