With support from EERE’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is demonstrating that plug-in electric vehicles can provide significant benefits to medium and heavy-duty fleets, especially utilities.  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with funding from VTO, is teaming with PG&E and Efficient Drivetrains Incorporated (EDI) to evaluate the performance of a unique Class 5 plug-in hybrid electric bucket truck. The innovative utility vehicle is equipped with batteries and an electric generator that can export up to 120 kilowatts of power, enough to light a neighborhood while crews are responding to an emergency. It can also rely on this electricity to minimize idling during normal repairs. In addition to its ability to export power for emergency or maintenance operations, the truck has a 40-mile all-electric range, after which it switches to hybrid mode and relies on its diesel engine. As a result, the vehicle has the potential to produce 80 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a conventional bucket truck. The vehicle was featured at a White House event where 70 utilities announced their commitment to use five percent of their fleet purchase budgets for plug-in electric vehicles.

To understand how the vehicle will function in the real world, NREL will use a chassis dynamometer to capture and compare energy efficiency metrics and emissions data on both the advanced vehicle and on a ‘baseline’ conventional diesel truck. NREL test results will help PG&E better understand vehicle system performance under controlled conditions, identify issues and requirements associated with vehicle operation, and help fine-tune the design of such vehicles.  This testing will provide PG&E the data to help them expanding these vehicles’ use in the PG&E fleet as well as other utility fleets.

EERE’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) develops and deploys efficient and environmentally friendly highway transportation technologies that will enable America to use less petroleum. These technologies will provide Americans with greater freedom of mobility and energy security, while lowering costs and reducing impacts on the environment. Learn more about the Vehicle Technologies Office’s work in Modeling, Integration, and Testing of advanced vehicles.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) success stories highlight the positive impact of its work with businesses, industry partners, universities, research labs, and other entities.