Green Mountain Power (GMP) announced this month that it will replace two of its heavy-duty field operation trucks with two all-electric trucks manufactured by Lion Electric in 2022. These trucks are expected to offset up to 100 tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) per year and will advance GMP’s goal of electrifying its field operations fleet.

GMP is among the first electric companies in New England to acquire all-electric heavy-duty trucks for its fleet. One will be a fully outfitted bucket truck for line crews, the other a Class 6 stake-body truck for electrical maintenance field crews.

“Electrifying our heavy-duty field operations fleet to reduce carbon emissions as we travel the state keeping the lights on and building a more resilient grid is a critical next step in our work to eliminate fossil fuels from our operations,” said GMP President and CEO Mari McClure. “Transportation with fossil-fueled vehicles is the top source of carbon emissions in Vermont, and we’re proud to start the process of converting our line truck fleet to clean electric trucks.”

GMP already has taken other steps to cut carbon in its fleet, including using clean B20 biodiesel in almost all trucks for many years and incorporating fully electric cars and plug-in hybrid vehicles into other aspects of its fleet. Notably, in addition to cutting the emissions from its fleet, GMP delivers 95 percent carbon-free electricity to its customers.

The bucket truck and its auxiliary systems will run entirely off the vehicle’s battery pack, eliminating emissions and noise pollution. The line truck has a range of 130 miles, and the stake truck can go 200 miles on a charge. These trucks, like all electric vehicles, will provide savings on maintenance and fuel.

Most of the cost will be covered by a $915,000 grant through the Volkswagen settlement fund managed by the Agency of Natural Resources, which will collect data about the trucks’ use, performance, charging, and carbon reduction to help the state learn more about the opportunities electric trucks offer in reaching Vermont’s clean energy goals.

The grant also allows the purchase of two bi-directional fast chargers for the trucks. The two vehicle-to-grid chargers are expected to generate more than $135,000 in savings for customers by providing stored energy when the trucks are plugged in and not in use that GMP can tap into during peak energy use times.

“Reducing public exposure to diesel emissions is an ongoing challenge,” said Peter Walke, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. “This project reduces both criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gases, moving Vermont closer to meeting our GHG emissions reduction goals, and supporting our electrification goals for the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sector.”

Lion Electric – a leading North American manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles – will manufacture the trucks to order, with the first truck expected to be delivered to GMP in the first quarter of 2022, and the second one scheduled to arrive next summer.

Lion Electric also is partnering with Con Edison, another EEI member company, in New York to provide it with electric bucket trucks.

“As a clean-energy leader, Vermont is a great example of how to integrate sustainable energy and electrified transportation, which is key to creating a successful sustainable society and economy in the future,” said Marc Bedard, CEO and founder of Lion Electric. “With reduced emissions and noise pollution, these trucks will eliminate emissions in the communities where they operate while saving on fleet costs, and we look forward to growing our relationship with GMP in the future.”

To learn more about the work GMP is doing to make it easier than ever to convert to an electric vehicle, visit GMP’s website.

Learn how EEI’s member companies are electrifying their internal fleets and helping to increase access and use of electric vehicles for customers by visiting EEI’s Electric Transportation webpage.

Tags : Clean Energy, Game Changers, All