King County purchased the Class 8 Kenworth battery electric vehicle through Papé Kenworth Northwest – SeaTac. (Photo courtesy of King County)
King County, Washington state's most populous county with more than 2.2 million residents, received a first look at its new Kenworth T680E battery electric vehicle at the Kenworth Renton manufacturing plant.
A special ceremony featured King County Executive Dow Constantine; Pat McLaughlin, King County Solid Waste Division director; Jim Walenczak, Kenworth assistant general manager of sales and marketing; Bryan Sitko, Kenworth assistant general manager of operations; and Kelly Hall, Washington state director of Climate Solutions.
Also in attendance were Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone; Darrin Child, Kenworth Renton plant manager; and Mitch Hatfield, general manager of Papé Kenworth for the Northwest and Alaska.
"We are once again catalyzing new markets to accelerate the transition to zero-emission fleets, this time with reliable heavy-duty trucks built right here in King County," said Constantine. "By leveraging the purchasing power of one of the nation's largest counties, we are proving to manufacturers that there is strong demand for vehicles that cut greenhouse gas emissions, lower maintenance costs, improve air quality and reduce noise pollution."
"We're entering a new and exciting time in the trucking industry," said Walenzcak. "It was great to meet with King County representatives and take them on a tour to show how these new battery electric vehicles are built at the Kenworth Renton plant. We thank King County for its business and look forward to seeing this new Kenworth T680E on the road."
King County's Solid Waste Division will operate the Kenworth T680E to transfer refuse from the county's Recycling and Transfer Station in Enumclaw to the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill in Maple Valley. King County purchased the Class 8 Kenworth battery electric vehicle through Papé Kenworth Northwest – SeaTac.
"With this T680E, we will soon place into service our first Class 8 battery electric vehicle that will produce zero emissions in our local community," said McLaughlin. "We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and will continue to electrify our fleet to help protect the natural resources that define our region."
In 2020, King County announced its Strategic Climate Action Plan that sets goals directed at cutting greenhouse emissions in half by the end of the decade. To help accomplish this goal, King County plans to continue to add zero emissions vehicles to its fleet.
"The Kenworth Renton plant and its employees have a major role in our efforts to provide new zero emissions battery electric vehicles to the marketplace," said Sitko. "Kenworth has built trucks in the Seattle area since 1923 and it is exciting to take this important technological leap forward."
The T680E is designed for pickup and delivery, regional haul and drayage applications, and is available as a day cab as either a tractor or straight truck. The T680E has an 82,000 lb. gross vehicle weight rating and estimated 150-mi. operating range, depending on application.
The Kenworth "Driving To Zero Emissions" program also features the Class 6 K270E and Class 7 K370E battery electric vehicles and PACCAR charging stations. The K270E and K370E cabovers are designed for pickup and delivery and short regional haul operations. The electric powertrain is available with high-density battery packs of 141 kWh, 209 kWh and 282 kWh that deliver up to 100-, 150- and 200-mi. range, respectively, with zero emissions.
King County also purchased a PACCAR charger rated at 120 kW to support T680E recharging. PACCAR Parts distributes electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that maximize coverage over a full range of Kenworth electric vehicles, with output power from 20 kilowatts (kW) to 350 kW. Customers can rely on the expertise of PACCAR Parts and its infrastructure partners to tailor EV charger solutions to fit the needs of any size and fleet. EV chargers can be purchased from Kenworth dealers.
Kenworth customers with questions about any battery electric vehicle grants and incentive programs in the United States and Canada may contact Alec Cervenka of Kenworth (Alec.Cervenka@paccar.com /425-902-3275).
For more information, visit www.kenworth.com.
This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.
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