When utility fleets send out a technician with a lift truck to modify or repair a pole or a line, the truck usually must idle to power the lift for the full time it takes to do the job. Two major players in the field now have teamed up to cut the emissions and fuel use, while allowing normal operation of the lift/bucket unit.

Odyne Corporation of Hauppauge, N.Y., is a specialist in developing plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrains, specifically for medium-duty and heavy-duty (Class 6, Class 7, and Class 8) trucks and transit buses.

Odyne has developed a proprietary system combining electric power conversion, power control, and energy storage technology. The system uses standard electric motors, storage batteries, and other off-the-shelf components to create a lower-cost, lower-maintenance, lower-emission, and quieter vehicle. Odyne’s PHEV systems are series configuration hybrids.

Electric-Powered Lift Truck Operates for Full Workday

Odyne has joined utility equipment manufacturer Dueco to develop a lift truck that can operate on electricity all day on the job, thus producing no pollution.

Dueco, a large privately owned final stage manufacturer of Terex Utilities and Hi-Ranger products, is a family company with more than 50 years of experience in the sale and service of aerial devices, digger derricks, cranes, and other equipment.

The new diesel PHEV was introduced and displayed at last fall’s International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE) in Louisville, Ky.

Overnight Recharging Uses Low-Cost Electricity 

The vehicle’s PHEV propulsion system minimizes fuel use and emissions in a typical aerial truck mission. It can be recharged off-hours using low-cost electricity from the electric grid. The system can also be recharged at any point with the conventional diesel engine. In addition, the system provides the fuel efficiency and emission enhancements typical of a hybrid vehicle, while the truck is traveling to and from the work site.

Odyne’s battery management systems, in conjunction with its control technology, also power the material-handling aerial device, a Terex TLM50M, for up to eight hours of aerial lift operation time — a full workday.

"Until now, aerial lift trucks equipped with a bucket for workmen to access the tops of telephone and electric polls required power from an idling engine to operate in the field for a full work day or to run the air conditioning," said Alan Tannenbaum, CEO of Odyne Corp.

He added, "This Dueco partnership is another sales channel for Odyne to lead industry and government into more environmentally sound technologies."

The Dueco International truck (2008 4300 SBA 4x2) is equipped with a 255-hp IHC MaxxForceDT engine, coupled to an Allison 3500 RDS-P automatic transmission.

Thomas Dalum, president of Dalum-Dueco Inc., said the company is ready to take orders for the hybrid lift truck.