Electric waste collection vehicles in Poland: A challenge or burden for local communities?

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, town 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. In most waste collections in this study, it was possible to drive on one battery charge. Some additional factors are necessary to consider for the planning of the route and collection area. The number of waste compacting cycles, the distance from the waste collection company base, and the battery charging time require real-world tests by the electric waste collection truck. 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.