SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — To help meet climate action goals, the City of Santa Cruz has procured the first all-electric refuse truck in Santa Cruz County. The new Mack LR® Electric Vehicle was purchased with grant funding of $400,000 from Monterey Bay Air Resources District and $200,000 from Volkswagen Mitigation Trust.

The community is invited to celebrate the EV Refuse Truck Ribbon-Cutting with government officials and industry representatives and regulators on Thursday, March 2, 12:15-12:45 p.m. at the City Hall Courtyard, 809 Center St.

In December, the City’s Resource Recovery division added the Mack LR® Electric Vehicle to its 27-vehicle sanitation fleet. The LR Electric is an extremely quiet zero-emissions truck equipped to serve both residential and commercial routes with the same reliability as diesel-powered trucks given 290 kWh total battery capacity. It is the first Mack LR® Electric truck to be used on the West Coast.

“The EV refuse truck is an exciting acquisition for the City of Santa Cruz,” said Mayor Fred Keeley. “It collects waste quietly and exemplifies our commitment to sustainable transportation solutions. It will help us reduce emissions, furthering our 2030 Climate Action Plan, and brings tremendous environmental benefits.”

The Mack LR® Electric is powered by a Free Wire Boost 200 EV Charger (grant and rebate funded) which utilizes the City Corporation Yard’s existing solar system to provide 100 percent of the truck’s electricity. This will save 3,200 gallons of diesel fuel and $20,000 per year. TEC Equipment (Oakland) will provide maintenance service and support for the Mack LR® Electric.

Speakers at the lunch-hour ribbon-cutting will include Mayor Fred Keeley, Public Works Director Nathan Nguyen, Santa Cruz County Third District Supervisor Justin Cummings, Sustainability & Climate Action Manager Tiffany Wise-West, Monterey Bay Air Resources District Air Pollution Control Officer Richard Stedman and Mack Trucks Western Regional Vice President Zach Bourn.

The event will take place whether rain or shine. The alternate indoor rain location is the City of Santa Cruz Corporation Yard, 1125 River St.