Visitors at the New York International Auto Show will have the chance to see one of the nation’s first all-electric bucket trucks in person. Con Edison recently took ownership of the truck, highlighting the company’s commitment to vehicle electrification and its support for cutting-edge clean energy technologies.
The truck will be on display at Con Edison’s booth (#1602 on Level 1 at the Javits Center) near the EV Test Track.
The truck will help maintain overhead power lines and repair critical infrastructure in the New York City region, lifting line workers as high as 60 feet in the air. The vehicle and its aerial equipment run entirely on electricity stored in battery systems.
“As anyone walking the floor at the New York International Auto Show can see, a once-in-a-generation change is rippling across the transportation sector,” said Fortunato Gulino, Con Edison’s chief automotive engineer. “We’re excited to showcase our first electric bucket truck and share our vision for electric vehicles and the clean energy future.”
The Class 7 truck was built by South Dakota-based Terex Utilities, with an all-electric International chassis supplied by Navistar. The truck is powered by a lithium-ion battery with 210 kilowatt-hours of capacity, offering an estimated 135 miles of driving range – more than enough to get through a typical workday. With a gross vehicle weight rating of 33,000 pounds, the truck is expected to take roughly 11 hours to recharge its batteries.
A Bucket Truck That Runs on Batteries
Con Edison now buys only electrified vehicles for its light-duty fleet, but moving medium- and heavy-duty trucks away from fossil fuels is a more challenging task due to their size and operational needs. Con Edison’s existing fleet of approximately 300 bucket trucks runs on diesel and gasoline.
EVs are quieter than internal combustion engine vehicles and do not emit tailpipe pollution, both attractive features for utility trucks, which often must leave their engines on as the crew performs work maintaining the electric system.
Building a Clean Energy Grid for Electric Vehicles
Con Edison is building a grid to deliver 100 percent clean power by 2040, ensuring that EVs deliver significant environmental benefits compared to vehicles that run on fossil fuels. The company’s PowerReady program is among the largest utility EV support programs in the country, with a goal to support the installation of 19,000 EV chargers in the New York City region by 2025 and 400,000 by 2035.
In addition to PowerReady, Con Edison supports EV adoption through a range of other support programs, including SmartCharge New York, a managed charging program aimed at reducing stress on the grid by encouraging EV drivers to charge overnight.