Diesel to Electric Trucks
Head of Fleet Jitesh Singh and Chief Engineer & Development Officer of Waste Management NZ Limited Lawrence James will do a deep dive into Waste Management’s truck electrification programme. Back in 2015 an operational carbon emissions report pointed to Waste Management’s diesel collections fleet producing approximately 75% of the company’s total carbon emissions. Armed with this data, converting the fleet of over 800 trucks to electric became a priority.
Biography
Jitesh Singh has been involved in the mechanical engineering of large vehicles for 17 years. Today he is Waste Management’s Head of Fleet with extensive experience in overseeing the design, build and supply of vehicles for all the company’s branches throughout New Zealand.
He is also an innovator, introducing and managing the rollout of the first electric side-loader trucks into this country along with setting up the first electric service and conversion workshop. He assisted Waka Kotahi (then the NZ Transport Agency) on electric trucks and required standards.
Jitesh’s passion is to implement new innovation to improve the safety and efficiency of solid waste, recycling, organic and hazardous waste collection vehicles. He procures trucks and refuse collection units from overseas manufacturers, then manages the builds of the complete vehicles customised to each region and requirements.
Without Jitesh’s drive and talents, it is unlikely Waste Management’s electrification programme could have progressed as quickly as it has.
Today Waste Management has 32 electric trucks across the country, with 50 planned to be on the roads by the end of 2023. Jitesh and his team are also keen to share their knowledge with other businesses, holding regular tours of the Electric Vehicle Innovation Hub, where the conversions happen, to show what is possible.
In addition, Jitesh oversees the approximately 50-90 trucks that are built each year as part of Waste Management’s annual fleet replacement programme.
