Mack Trucks’ dealer Affinity Truck Center recently achieved Certified Electric Vehicle (EV) Dealer status at its Fresno, California dealership. The designation allows Affinity Truck Center to support the Mack® LR Electric refuse vehicle. “Mack Trucks commends Affinity Truck Center both for becoming a Certified Electric Vehicle Dealer and its ongoing support of Mack and our customers,” said Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of sales and commercial operations. “This investment by Affinity extends the service and support network for our LR Electric customers as more of them begin to adopt electric vehicles into their fleets.”
Production of the LR Electric began in December 2021 at the Mack Lehigh Valley Operations facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania, where all Class 8 Mack vehicles for North America and export are assembled. To achieve EV certification, dealers are required to meet numerous safety, charging, infrastructure, tooling and training requirements. Updates to the facility also need to be made. Affinity Truck Center met routinely with the Mack team during the certification process to ensure their dealership met all the standards at its Fresno site.
Affinity Truck Center offers 16 service bays in Fresno, two of which are in a separate onsite building to service Mack LR Electric vehicles. The dealership employs 95 people and has 27 technicians, 11 of which are master technicians. Three technicians are EV-certified to work on electric vehicles. The 60,450 square-foot dealership offers $2 million in parts inventory. “Affinity Truck Center is excited to become EV-certified to better serve and support our Mack customers,” Kim Mesfin, Affinity Truck Center dealer principal. “We look forward to supporting refuse customers with their electrification efforts.”
Opened in 1980 by the Howard family and Mesfin’s father, Jim Pollack, the family-owned dealer also owns a dealership in Bakersfield, California. This location is in the process of a full remodel and becoming EV-certified. The LR Electric is equipped with four NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide) lithium-ion batteries, charged by a 150kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system. The batteries provide vehicle propulsion, as well as power for all onboard accessories driven through 12V, 24V and 600V electric circuits. To account for the LR Electric vehicle’s increasing load throughout the day, a three-mode regenerative braking system helps recapture the energy from the hundreds of stops the vehicle makes on a daily basis.
The Mack LR Electric may be fitted with equipment bodies from numerous manufacturers based on the unique needs of the customer. The same driver/passenger side driving configurations, as well as seating choices and door options, are offered in the LR Electric as on the diesel-powered Mack LR model. A copper-colored Bulldog hood ornament, signifying the fully electric drivetrain, is featured prominently on the front of the truck. The Affinity Truck Center Fresno facility is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Roadside assistance is available 24/7.
For more information, visit www.macktrucks.com.