King County 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 for sales and marketing; Bryan Sitko, Kenworth assistant general manager for 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,” says King County Executive Dow 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.”
Kenworth’s Walenzcak says the industry is entering a new and exciting time. He also thanks King County for its business and looks forward to seeing the new truck 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. Additionally, King County purchased the Class 8 Kenworth battery electric vehicle through Papé Kenworth Northwest – SeaTac.
ELECTRIFY FOR THE COMMUNITY
“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,” says Pat McLaughlin, King County Solid Waste Division director. “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 setting goals to cut emissions in half by 2030. 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,” says Kenworth’s Sitko. “Kenworth has built trucks in the Seattle area since 1923, and it is exciting to take this important technological leap forward.”
Kenworth designed the T680E for pickup and delivery, regional haul, and drayage applications. It is available as a day cab as either a tractor or straight truck. Further, the T680E has an 82,000-lb gross vehicle weight rating and estimated 150-mile operating range, depending on application.
King County also purchased a PACCAR charger rated at 120 kW to support T680E recharging. PACCAR Parts distributes charging stations with coverage over a range of Kenworth EVs with output from 20 to 350 kW. Customers can rely on PACCAR Parts and its partners’ expertise to tailor charging solutions to suit any fleet. EV chargers can be purchased from Kenworth dealers.
Find out more, visit www.kenworth.com.
