Watch This Garbage Truck Explode

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Posted by George Kennedy

                                

                                          

When you think of New Jersey, garbage trucks, and stuff blowing up, you might think I’m doing a poor job summarizing “The Sopranos,” but in this case, all of those things refer to an actual scenario. That said, it does look like a scene from a movie.

 

According to Jalopnik, who was sourcing garbage blog WasteDive (seriously), the scene took place in Hamilton, NJ. Apparently, an electrical fire in a garbage truck burned out of control until, well, take a look for yourself…

 

It should probably be pointed out that the garbage truck was powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). Many municipal and commercial vehicles have CNG drivetrains. They are kept in protected tanks, but when a fire rages out of control, there’s little to avoid this kind of explosion.

As the Hamilton, NJ police chief described the event, the garbage truck “exploded like a missile.” We have to agree with his assessment, but it should not deter cities and states from seeking alternative fuels to the extremely dirty traditional diesel systems.

A situation like this is the criticism of (hydrogen) fuel cell vehicles, but automakers are building FCVs with tanks that are supposed to be able to prevent such explosions. As FCVs become more popular, we’ll certainly be watching out for similar situations as the one from the video above.