NEW YORK, March 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Con Edison
and its partners Lion Electric and Posi-Plus are developing the
country's first all-electric bucket truck capable of performing the
full range of work that electric utilities require of such
vehicles.
The truck will be unique on American roads when Con Edison takes
possession early next year, running entirely on electricity as it
lifts lineworkers and equipment as high as 60 feet for
construction, maintenance and repair work.
"Medium- and heavy-duty trucks are more challenging to electrify
than cars, but the purchase of our first all-electric bucket truck
shows the market is real today and it will only accelerate from
here," said Con Edison Chief Executive Officer Tim Cawley. "While initially small in scope,
this represents an important step in Con Edison's journey toward
fleet electrification."
"We are all in on electric vehicles," Cawley added, "and that
means transitioning our own fleet while making it easier for our
customers to charge up their own vehicles."
Lion Electric, a leading North American manufacturer of
zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, and Posi-Plus are building the
truck to Con Edison's specifications, with a Lion8 all-electric
chassis and aerial equipment drive. Delivery of the vehicle in
early 2022 will be followed by its use in a pilot program. If this
initiative is successful, the bucket truck will be integrated as
part of Con Edison's fleet of trucks that maintains the overhead
electric system in New York City
and Westchester County, N.Y.
The class 8 truck will be capable of putting in a full day's
work and traveling an estimated 130 miles on a single charge. When
not in service, it will top off its batteries in about eight hours
using two Level 2 chargers.
As of last year, every new light-duty vehicle that Con Edison
buys is a plug-in hybrid or all-electric. The company is exploring
a range of technologies to reduce its fossil fuel use in medium-
and heavy-duty vehicles, and it may add more all-electric bucket
trucks to its fleet in the future.
The Iconic Utility Truck Reimagined
Bucket trucks are
a critical tool for building and maintaining the electric grid,
which is set for major investment and expansion as the country
shifts toward cleaner sources of energy. Con Edison owns more than
300 such trucks.
While electric vehicles carry higher upfront costs than
traditional gas-powered models today, they can already save money
on fuel costs, and battery prices are dropping rapidly. Con
Edison's all-electric bucket truck will be quieter than models with
an internal combustion engine, and the electrified version won't
emit any carbon dioxide or other forms of air pollution.
Utility trucks are often required to spend significant amounts
of time idling as they prepare for and perform work, making them an
attractive target for electrification.
"Con Edison has proven to be a leading innovator among utilities
in the United States, and our
all-electric Lion8 bucket truck is another example of the paradigm
shift that is happening in heavy-duty transportation," said
Marc Bedard, CEO and founder of Lion
Electric. "Utility trucks are a prime application for
electrification that we identified early on, and by eliminating
emissions from long idling sessions, utilities have the added
benefit of improving the environment and air quality in their own
communities while eliminating noise pollution as well."
Con Edison has one of the nation's largest incentive programs to
cover costs for bringing electrical service from the grid to
electric vehicle chargers, with a goal of 18,500 Level 2 chargers
and 450 fast-chargers across its service territory by 2025.
In a first for New York State,
electricity recently began flowing from batteries inside electric
school buses back onto the grid, as part of a demonstration project
focused on vehicle-to-grid technology. The vehicle-to-grid capable
e-buses for that project were also supplied by Lion Electric.
In another pilot project, Con Edison and New York City will soon begin installing 120
curbside charging plugs, making it easier for electric vehicle
drivers to charge up away from home.
As part of its Clean Energy Commitment, Con Edison is on the
path to supplying 100 percent clean electricity by 2040, giving
drivers confidence that they will shrink their environmental
footprint by choosing an electric vehicle over a gas-powered
option.
About Con Edison
Con Edison is a subsidiary of
Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE:ED], one of the nation's largest
investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues and $63 billion in assets. The utility provides
electric, gas and steam service to more than three million
customers in New York City and
Westchester County, N.Y.
About Lion Electric. Co.
Lion Electric is an
innovative manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles. The company
creates, designs and manufactures all-electric class 5 to class 8
commercial urban trucks and all-electric buses and minibuses for
the school, paratransit and mass transit segments. Lion is a North
American leader in electric transportation and designs, builds and
assembles all its vehicles' components, including chassis, battery
packs, truck cabins and bus bodies.
Always actively seeking new and reliable technologies, Lion
vehicles have unique features that are specifically adapted to its
users and their everyday needs. Lion believes that transitioning to
all-electric vehicles will lead to major improvements in our
society, environment and overall quality of life.
Lion Electric, The Bright Move.
About Posi-Plus
Since 1981, Posi-Plus has been
designing and manufacturing distinctive utility and
telecommunication equipment to lift lineworkers and equipment into
the air for construction, maintenance and repair work. The company
also builds cable pulling equipment for underground and tensioning
applications. The company's products are recognized for their high
standards of security, reliability and performance.
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SOURCE Consolidated Edison Company of New York