오시코시 맥닐러스 볼테라 전기 쓰레기 및 재활용 차량

Garbage trucks operate daily in urban areas, causing noise and exhaust emissions. Frequent stops and starts result in low fuel efficiency and severe engine wear. As environmental regulations tighten, cities must reduce garbage truck emissions. However, existing electric truck technology has struggled to provide sufficient range for a full day of operation.

Additionally, the nature of collection work requires drivers to get in and out of the vehicle hundreds of times a day, leading to musculoskeletal fatigue and safety concerns, as well as accident risks when reversing in narrow streets.

To address these issues, the McNeilus Volterra electric collection vehicle was developed as a solution combining an electric truck capable of handling a full day's workload equivalent to an internal combustion engine vehicle with driver assistance systems.

The Volterra electric garbage truck is the first electric refuse truck in the industry to achieve an operating range equivalent to diesel vehicles. With a single charge, it can travel127 milesand perform up to 1,499 stop/restart operations, covering all typical urban collection routes. This is achieved through Oshkosh's hybrid technology know-how, a high-capacity battery, and regenerative braking.

Furthermore, the driver-centric design incorporates air suspension seats and intuitive controls to reduce fatigue during long hours of operation. The automatic mode collection function automates the process of picking up and emptying trash cans without the driver having to manually operate levers. The vehicle is also equipped with a 360-degree camera and sensors, as well as ADAS, to enhance safety by providing pedestrian and obstacle recognition warnings when driving or reversing in narrow streets.

This fully integrated electric refuse truck is the only one in the United States that has proven capable of completely replacing existing diesel routes and has been pilot-operated in areas such as Dallas to verify its performance. In other words, while competitors are limited to partial electrification or range limitations, Volterra has an advantage in that it is an electric garbage truck that meets all practical requirements.

City administrations (local governments) and private waste collection companies worldwide are the direct purchasers. In the US, since city governments or private contractors own and operate the vehicles, they will adopt Volterra to replace aging diesel vehicles.

Large-scale purchases can be made through government bidding in a B2G format, and there is a possibility of linking with central government subsidy programs to achieve environmental regulation goals. In countries such as Korea, adoption may be considered in line with environmental corporation or local government cleaning vehicle replacement projects.

It is basically a B2G/B2B fleet sale and is not related to individual consumers. Oshkosh's McNeilus brand has a high market share in the United States, so existing customer cities will be the first to purchase, and then it will be exported to other countries after local certification.

The Volterra electric platform has high scalability to other heavy equipment. Oshkosh is already developing airport fire trucks (Striker Volterra) using this technology (see #10), and it can be applied to other special-purpose vehicles such as city buses and recycling sorting vehicles in the future.

From an environmental perspective, market demand is increasing in line with carbon-neutral city policies, so there is a potential market for global metropolitan areas to replace tens of thousands of vehicles within the next 10 years. Regulations are also moving in a positive direction, with some European countries considering banning internal combustion engine cleaning vehicles, giving this proven electric cleaning vehicle a favorable position.

Oshkosh is currently producing in the United States and is expected to build supply response capabilities by considering overseas local production or assembly depending on demand. In addition, by collecting vehicle connectivity data and linking it with smart city management platforms, it is possible to provide additional services (e.g., real-time collection volume monitoring).

In short, it has scalability that will establish itself as one of the standard models for garbage collection vehicles in the future due to high technology/market maturity.

It won the Innovation Award in the Construction and Industrial Technology category at CES 2026, and was praised for demonstrating the electrification innovation of industrial vehicles. The judges praised *"the fact that performance was not sacrificed while reducing emissions and noise,"* and specifically mentioned its contribution to improving the urban environment and worker welfare.

In fact, professional media such as Recycling Today called Volterra *"the Tesla of garbage trucks"*, emphasizing innovation in the driver experience as well as the environment. The level of technical completeness has already been verified through pilot operation since 2023, earning trust as *"a realized technology, not an exaggeration."*

Market expectations are also very positive, and according to Oshkosh's announcement, inquiries have flooded in from several cities immediately after CES. However, since the initial purchase price is higher than that of diesel, budget securing and economic analysis will be discussed when actually introducing it, and maintenance infrastructure will also need to be prepared. However, it is expected that the long-term total cost of ownership (TCO) will be lowered, so it is evaluated as *"it will become more advantageous over time."*

Overall, the judges welcome Volterra as *"a real battery garbage truck has arrived"*, and the atmosphere is that it is an innovation that has settled into reality without exaggeration.