Adams Electric Cooperative in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania has announced that it will be utilizing the world’s first plug-in hybrid utility bucket truck. The PHEV was developed by DUECO, Inc. and ODYNE, Inc. and will serve the counties of Cumberland, upper Franklin and parts of York.
The utility truck will have a standard diesel engine and transmission complemented by the plug-in hybrid batteries, which will be used to both power the truck and the bucket with a 55-foot vertical reach. Poetically enough, this plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will be used to service electrical transmission lines and transformers.
Fuel costs for the plug-in hybrid are half of those for the standard diesel bucket trucks, meaning lower emissions as well. The batteries for the PHEV require an 8-hour recharge time with a 240-v outlet and this will be done at night during off-peak hours to save on costs.
The batteries are powerful enough to cool the cabin and power the boom on the truck during a typical workday without the use of the diesel engine. If needed, however, when the battery power gets low, the diesel engine will kick in to recharge the battery pack.
Adams Electric Cooperative serves 30,000 customers and 2,800 miles of electrical distribution line. This uplifting PHEV story will be the first of many as other utilities will surely follow suit.