Ridge Meadows Recycling Society has purchased its first electric vehicle.
The society bought a 2024 VMC 1200, fully-electric box truck for it's employment skills program for people with diverse abilities to do pickups and deliveries throughout the community, explained operations director Lorne Skoropada.
Residents may have already seen the vehicle out and about in the community, Skoropada said, noting the truck was debuted at the Earth Day festival as part of an Electric Vehicle display organized by the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association, alongside electric vehicles from the City of Maple Ridge, the RCMP, and the fire department.
It seems fleet managers, as well as residents are turning to electric vehicles to save the environment… and costs, Skoropada said.
“By replacing our previous internal combustion truck with a fully-electric vehicle, we have not only reduced our fuel costs by almost 80 per cent, we are no longer releasing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere," he said.
This first, fully-electric vehicle in the recycling society’s was built by a former Aldergrove manufacturer, and purchased from Maple Ridge dealer and distributor Pioneer Motor Group, making it very convenient for any future service and parts needed.
The box truck has a cargo body that is manufactured from recycled plastic, aluminum, and tin and was also built by a local company, Sustainable Truck and Equipment, who installed a Level 2 charger at the recycling depot in Albion for charging as needed.
The truck has a range of approximately 250 km per charge, Skoropada said.
The Recycling Society was able to purchase the truck through federal and provincial rebates and funding provided by a Community Prosperity Fund grant, available to organizations in B.C. that advance poverty reduction and social inclusion. Ridge Meadows Recycling Society received the grant from the province and Maple Ridge Community Foundation.
The truck enables the skills crew to provide pick up services in the community, including:
• large items like freezers and washing machines,
• abandoned shopping carts,
• books, refundable beverage containers, and textiles to deliver for recycling,
• other pickups and deliveries as requested by the City of Maple Ridge bylaws and other departments.
“All in all, we are very happy with the performance of the truck,” said Skoropada.
“The warranty is outstanding, with the batteries fully warranted for 10 years and all other components for eight years. We look forward to many years of environmentally friendly use as we provide services, build skills, and foster social inclusion in the community.”
The truck will be on display this coming weekend at the recycling society’s upcoming 50th Repair Cafe. It's being held on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Albion Community Centre.
