A refuse vehicle includes a chassis having a prime mover, a body assembly coupled to the chassis, a tailgate pivotally coupled to the body assembly, an energy storage device coupled to the tailgate and moveable therewith, at least one of a non-structural conduit, a non-structural raceway, and a non-structural channel configured to contain at least one of wiring and a hydraulic line, and an impact mitigation system including at least one frame member positioned to direct impact loads around the energy storage device. The prime mover is configured to be powered by the energy storage device. The impact mitigation system provides a protected region within which the energy storage device is disposed.