Dubai Municipality Puts Its First Fully Electric Waste Collection Truck Into Service

The truck matters less as a single vehicle than as a test. Saeed Safar, director of the waste operations department at Dubai Municipality, said its main purpose is to measure how heavy electric vehicles actually perform in local conditions and how well they fit the emirate's operations. The results are meant to give a scientific basis for using them more widely in municipal work. Refuse trucks run long daily routes with constant stopping and starting, and Dubai's summer heat is hard on batteries, so the trial should show whether electric heavy vehicles are practical for the city's fleets.

According to the municipality, the truck runs on three lithium-ion batteries weighing about 2.2 tonnes in total, giving a range of 100 to 150 kilometres per charge. A 160-kilowatt charger can take the battery from 20% to 80% in one hour and 45 minutes.

The vehicle has a total capacity of 19 cubic metres and can carry up to 11 tonnes of compacted waste. It can lift bins of 1.1 cubic metres, 360 litres, 240 litres and 120 litres. Its electric compactor works with communal bins and door-to-door collection, and it can weigh waste at the source while emptying bins. Cameras on the vehicle let operators monitor each stage of the work and help the driver see around the truck while manoeuvring.

The municipality said it has trained a dedicated crew for the vehicle, including a smart-vehicle technician and cleaning engineers. The truck will work two shifts a day, 16 hours in total.

The municipality links the vehicle to its Dubai Integrated Waste Management Strategy 2041. That strategy aims to cut waste generation by 18% and divert all waste from landfill by 2041. Safar said electric collection vehicles reduce reliance on conventional trucks and cut emissions.

The municipality did not name the manufacturer, give the cost or say how many electric trucks it might buy if the trial succeeds.