Look Out When This Bad Boy Hits Your Colorado Neighborhood

Keep your eyes peeled for this dude to come rolling through your neighborhood. No, it's not an urban assault vehicle. It's a 100% electric drive heavy-duty street sweeper, and it's cool.

This unit was one of a handful of Colorado Department of Transportation vehicles featured last week at the Drive Clean Colorado summit in Golden. Check out the specs.

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On The Road In Colorado

You're looking at the Global M4EV. This is what's known as a ZEV, a "zero emissions vehicle." According to Global Sweeper, the Global M4EV is a "High Performance, 100% Electric Drive, Plug In, Heavy Duty Street Sweeping with Zero Emissions." In other words, it's electric.

How Does It Perform?

Global Sweeper reports the M4EV can travel at up to 55 miles per hour. The batter has a range of 10 hours. The average "sweeping" speed for the vehicle is 5-11 miles per hour.  It's highly maneuverable with an 18.5' turning radius.

It comes standard with a load leveling device with a "Hopper Full" indicator. Optional features include AM/FM/CD radio, Bluetooth Handsfree capability, Dual In-Cab Gutterbroom Tilt (whatever that is), Air Ride seat, and a 100% stainless steel hopper with a lifetime warranty.

Get a load of this. The Heavy Sweep package is capable of sweeping sand and gravel, upo to one ton every 20 seconds.

Okay, so it looks like Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine got together with that Tumbler thing from the Christian Bale Batman movies and made a really ugly baby. It's what's under the hood that counts.

Who Cares?

I care. My street looks like garbage. I live in the hills, and after heavy rain, tons of mud, sand, and gravel settle into the level portions of my neighborhood's paved road. Half of the summer was spent sweeping and shoveling road base off the blacktop. I would love to see this thing making rounds on my street.

The 'Electric' Aspect Opened a Can of Worms

If you check out the Colorado Department of Transportation's Facebook post from yesterday, you'll see a number of people chimed in with comments regarding this street sweeper. One comment, courtesy of Kelly F., reads, "This is a good idea in theory but it is not practical in real-world applications. Stop Californication our state!" Another comment, this one from Susan E., says, "Can it pull itself out of the giant potholes and ruts along every stretch of asphalt on every road Colorado has to offer? ...asking for a friend."

I don't know that I care if this thing is electric, gas, diesel, or pulled by oxen, I like having clean streets.