Truck 54 Where Are You? BramsonMobile Going Back to Long Island for Repairs

Written By: Robert Cox

hybridtruck.jpgThe BramsonMobile, the Mayor’s “Green” Garbage Truck, is headed back to ElectroMotive Designs (EMD) in Long Island for servicing, sources say. The truck is in need of repair due to a broken blade in the hopper and will undergo a brake inspection.

These same sources say the truck has become so unreliable that it can no longer be operated with the electrical system engaged making the truck nothing more than a very expensive regular diesel engine truck. Photos obtained by Talk of the Sound (above) show the truck “in line” with no electrical lines running to the truck.

Council members Stowe and St. Paul asked questions about the truck at the recent City Council meeting (6 minute video below). Asked to give a figure for the cost to convert the vehicle, Chuck Strome and his staff become bit tongue-tied and fail to answer. At one point, Strome ventures to provide a figure “a hundred…” (as in a hundred-something thousand and then backs off.

At 41 minutes into the City Council meeting (excerpted above) the topic turns to Section 1.4 (Green Fleet) of the GreeNR plan. At 42:52, is the first mention of hybrid truck. St. Paul asked how much it cost to convert. Strome says he does not know, that he sent a memo, that he does not want to guess then starts to say a hundred thousand and stops. Asked what savings the truck has delivered, DPW chief Jeff Coleman will not answer, saying that the truck is still going through evaluation, that the evaluation will go for a year and about a month later they will figure out the savings.

This is all baloney. Several months ago, Talk of the Sound FOIL’d for this information and DPW responded saying they would have this information in June. The ElectroMotive Designs was delivered in June and includes a fuel savings number (10%). Now Coleman, Strome and Deborah Newborn say they will not have the numbers until the fall.

Last week we linked the report from ElectroMotive Designs (EMD), the company responsible for the hybrid conversion of the vehicle, which showed that the vehicle has failed to achieve significant fuel savings as promised and, given the six-figure cost to convert the vehicle to a hybrid vehicle the break-even point will not be reached for decades — far beyond the useful life of the truck:

With Break -Even Point Nowhere in Sight, Report on New Rochelle’s Green Garbage Truck Raises Doubts About Bramson Plan

A DPW vendor report, submitted to the City of New Rochelle last week, raises serious questions about many of the “Return on Investment” claims behind the Mayor’s GreeNR sustainability plan without demonstrating the slightest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The report filed by ElectroMotive Designs (EMD) per the terms of their contract with the City, was made to evaluate the performance of the City’s first “Green” Refuse Truck which was put into service last summer.

…if the truck is getting between 2.1 and 2.3 MPG and going about 36 miles in a day the truck uses about 16 gallons per day. In a typical month there are about 22 work days. If the truck is magically never taken out of service it will consume a maximum of about 350 gallons a month. If EMD is correct and there is a 10% increase in fuel efficiency the converted truck saves about 35 gallons a month.

Cost to Convert Vehicle/Years Until Break-Even

if $50,000 = 40 years.
if $100,000 = 80 years.
if $150,000 = 120 years.
if $200,000 = 160 years.

4 thoughts on “Truck 54 Where Are You? BramsonMobile Going Back to Long Island for Repairs”

  1. What Bramson should really
    What Bramson should really needs to do is form a commission to find out the sustainablity of annual 10% (or just under) property tax increases.

    If we continue at the current rate and our property taxes double over the next 12 years, who’s going to be able to afford to live in New Rochelle and what will happen to the values of our homes?

    That’s right my property taxes went from ~$7,500 to ~$15,000 in a short 12 year span so what will happen if they double again to $30,000 in the next 12 years? Who’s going to be able to afford to buy my house?

    Bramson & Co want you to support this UN-sustainable level of tax increases that are going to financially ruin us. But will he be around then? I bet not as he’ll have passed the buck to the next mayor by then, but if he is around I’m sure he’ll find someone/thing to blame; something like school taxes are out of my control.

    And all along we the citizens will be left holding the bag, a bag full of hybrid garbage, crossing guard pensions and healthcare for Bea Brown!

  2. More financial data is needed on all GreeNR items
    This devastating financial analysis is only a snapshot of what the residents of New Rochelle can expect when true costs are given of all the items in this GreeNR report. Remember you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

    1. But they only need to fool the few who vote!
      But they only need to fool the few who vote!

    2. Remember the 2 garbage trucks that were too tall
      these same idiots ordered 2 garbage trucks that couldn’t fit under the bridges in the city. We lost a couple of hundred (thousand)on that mistake a few years back.

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