Abstract:

One of the categories of heavy-duty vehicles is waste collection trucks. This study investigates the use of electric waste collection trucks for mixed and selectively collected waste in Poland. Three types of common communities were selected, including densely populated city, towns, and rural settlements. The locations of the case studies represent typical communities and urban development in Poland. It was a real-world test of the collections in urban and rural communities. The results indicated that the most important factors for planning and routing for an electric vehicle are the range of the vehicle and the state of charge of the battery. The study found that most waste collections can operate on one battery charge. However, real-world tests are needed to consider factors like the number of waste compacting cycles, distance from the waste collection company base, and battery charging time in route planning and collection area. The cost analysis for the use of electric waste collection trucks in a rural community indicates high purchase costs of electric waste collection trucks and technical challenges with the infrastructure, service, and maintenance of the vehicles. Sensitivity analysis indicates a long repayment time for electric truck purchase, ranging from 16 to 33 years. The cost of charging electric heavy duty trucks is lower than that of combustion engine trucks, but the high purchase cost discourages the local community from using electric trucks for waste collection.