Utilities in the Tennessee Valley area are continuing their mission to go greener with new plug-in hybrid-electric powered bucket trucks.

The utilities have already rolled out several of the 53 trucks that have been slated for a U.S. Department of Energy grant distributed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Electric Power Research Institute. A total of 27 medium-duty bucket trucks and diggers, and 26 light-duty pickups and vans are part of the distribution.

In all, 17 TVA-served utilities are receiving the plug-in hybrid system, including 12 in Tennessee, two in Mississippi, two in Alabama and one in Kentucky. Other participating utilities in East Tennessee are Knoxville Utilities Board and Bristol Tennessee Essential Services. According to the TVA, these are the utilities participating in its program:

• Bristol Tennessee Essential Services

• Chattanooga EPB

• Clarksville CDE

• Cleveland Utilities

• Etowah Utilities

• Huntsville Utilities Board

• Knoxville Utilities Board

• McMinnville Electric System

• Memphis Light, Gas and Water

• Murfreesboro Electric Dept.

• Nashville Electric Service

• New Albany Light Gas and Water

• North Alabama Electric Cooperative

• Oak Ridge Electric Dept.

• Oxford Electric Dept.

• Tennessee Valley Electric Cooperative

• West Kentucky RECC

Among the first to roll out their trucks have been the Tennessee Valley Electric Cooperative (which posted a YouTube video of its new truck), the Knoxville Utilities Board, New Albany Light Gas and Water, and most recently, the Oak Ridge Electric Department.

As part of the program, electric charging stations will also be installed. TVA is providing these charging stations to participating utilities and will provide partial funding for installations.

The authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity.