PECO Energy was recently awarded a federal Clean Cities grant for more than $83,000 to support the production and testing of a prototype hybrid bucket truck in the Philadelphia region.

The grant will be used to offset the cost of a heavy duty, hybrid utility truck, which PECO expects to receive in the spring of 2006. The funding will cover both the body of the vehicle as well as costs associated with the conversion of the engine and chassis to operate on electricity and gasoline.

Following production, PECO will utilize the vehicle and provide feedback on its capabilities to the U.S. Department of Energy.

As part of a nationwide pilot program, PECO and sister utility ComEd in Chicago will be among the first utilities in the nation to test hybrid bucket trucks currently being manufactured in Illinois and Ohio. The trucks are expected to improve fuel economy up to 60 percent compared to diesel-only trucks.

Much of the fuel savings is expected while crews are working on a job site. Unlike diesel-powered trucks, the electric and gas hybrid truck allows the operator to shut off the diesel engine and operate the bucket on an electric motor for up to two hours before the engine needs to be restarted to briefly recharge the battery. As a result, considerable less fuel is burned and noise reduction is dramatically reduced.

In addition to reduced fuel costs, hybrid vehicles provide other benefits including helping to reduce the length of outages. The truck is capable of generating about 25 kilowatts of electricity, providing enough energy to power three to five average-sized homes while crews make repairs and restore service.

The truck will join PECO's fleet of more than 1,300 heavy and light duty trucks and SUVs, including 26 Ford Escape hybrids recently added to PECO's fleet. Locally PECO also utilizes light duty vehicles capable of operating on compressed natural gas, one of the cleanest fossil fuels.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program advances the economic, environmental, and energy security of the United States by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that contribute to the reduction of petroleum consumption in the transportation sector.

10/28/2005