Lunaz is now doing restomod EV bin lorries

Last week, Lunaz told TG that it had sold out of EV restomod Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Jaguars, Aston Martins and Range Rovers for 2022 and 2023.

Although technically that’s now the work of Lunaz Design. The Silverstone-based firm split into three sub-brands a while back, with Lunaz Powertrains and Lunaz Applied Technologies also forming part of an EV supergroup. 

The latter is the part of the business responsible for what you see above – it’s a Mercedes-Benz Econic bin lorry that Lunaz describes as an upcycled electric vehicle (UEV). A restomod refuse truck? Singer beware…

Lunaz says that it has already signed agreements with major councils and private firms in the UK and the US to supply them with electrified Merc trucks, before the conversion goes on general sale in 2023. 

It also claims that “more than 80% of embedded carbon over total lifetime is saved when upcycling rather than replacing an existing refuse truck with a new EV equivalent”.

Oh, and the refreshed and electrified bin lorry will cost roughly the same as a new diesel equivalent and less than a brand new EV. There’s no set battery size, but councils can spec what they need depending on the route the truck takes. Lunaz then strips it back to bare metal, adds in the electric powertrain, fits new safety tech and plumbs in 360-degree cameras as well as a couple more that replace the wing mirrors. It also fits comfier new seats after feedback from current refuse collectors. 

What do we think of the commercial vehicle restomod game, Internet?