Santa Cruz, CA, Gets First Electric Garbage Truck

The new garbage collector is expected to save around $20,000 in annual fuel costs.

Government Technology – The new garbage collector, which costs around $600,000, has a 290 kWh total battery capacity that allows it to hold a charge for about eight hours. The new collector is expected to save around $20,000 in annual fuel costs.

The city of Santa Cruz has added a virtually silent, emission-free garbage truck to its 27-truck fleet with the use of grant funding from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District and the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony held at the Santa Cruz City Hall courtyard Thursday for the futuristic garbage collector, which cost approximately $600,000, local leaders such as Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley spoke to the long-term cost savings that come with the use of the electric vehicle and its significance for the city moving forward.

“The city of Santa Cruz is honored to be the first jurisdiction in the county to roll out, literally, a complete electric, trash pick-up, and sorting truck,” said Keeley. “This is going to save us over 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel and $20,000 a year in fuel costs for our city, and maybe if you’re the city of L.A. that gets lost in the shuffle, but that doesn’t get lost in Santa Cruz. Those are big numbers.”