Consolidated Edison Company of New York announced that together with Canadian EV company Lion Electric and Posi-Plus, it is developing an all-electric bucket truck.
The vehicle is expected to have a range of up to 130 miles (209 km) and being capable of performing the full range of work, including all-electric lift for line workers and equipment as high as 60 feet for construction, maintenance and repair work.
The base vehicle for the project will be the Lion8 with a 252 kWh battery pack and peak output of 350 kW and 3,400 Nm of torque. An interesting thing is that it will recharge in eight hours using two AC Level 2 stations, which suggests that the pack will be split in half when charging.
The electric bucket truck for Con Edison will be delivered in early 2022 and initially used in a pilot program. Once proven 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 stake for Lion Electric and Posi-Plus is high, as Con Edison has more than 300 bucket trucks that could be gradually replaced. There are also multiple other utilities that will look for an alternative to diesel.
Con Edison Chief Executive Officer Tim Cawley said:
"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. 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."
