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.