Odyne Systems vehicles increase fuel efficiency through innovative battery and motor technologies
Waukesha, WI – Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass markets, business, government and wholesale customers, recently purchased five 29 foot plug-in hybrid bucket trucks, from Odyne Systems, LLC.“These smaller 10 Series bucket trucks are work trucks with a bucket height of 29 feet.” says Ken McKenney, a Verizon Fleet Sustainability manager. “We will use them for new installations, repairs, cable maintenance, splicing and corrections. We chose the Odyne system because it provided what we needed. We worked through DUECO, Inc. with whom we have a long and successful relationship – it’s been a good experience”.
Odyne’s Plug-in hybrid units provide a turnkey hybrid solution for companies needing units that have extended periods of jobsite idle time, in conjunction with city driving cycles (a high percentage of starting and stopping), companies can gain the most benefits from using a parallel plug-in hybrid system in these conditions. Long known for participating, not only in New York’s sustainable energy and environmental initiatives but also working and thinking globally, Verizon is excited about continuing to advance its environmental plans and will continue to assess hybrid technologies to determine which technologies will most benefit its environmental sustainability initiatives.
Plug-in hybrid truck systems increase fuel efficiency while driving by using an electric motor in parallel with the existing drive train, providing launch assist and regenerative braking. Once at the job site, vehicles can function without using engine power. Instead, workers use the hybrid plug-in system to operate worksite applications, such as boom movement. Fleet managers may prefer a certain type of chassis, fuel type, or vehicle application configuration, and because the Odyne system was designed without any changes to an OEM engine or transmission, Odyne’s plug-in hybrid system can be used on many work truck platforms, including bucket trucks, digger derricks, or air compressor truck applications.
The batteries on the Odyne Plug-in hybrid units can recharged by:
1. Plugging In: Plug in the vehicle using electric utility grid energy.
2. Regenerative Braking: Allows the electric motor generator to slow the vehicle and use this ‘captured’ energy to recharge the battery system.
3. Engine Recharging in the Field: When the battery system is depleted to its maximum allowable level at the jobsite, the engine automatically starts and recharges the system to a higher level. The engine then turns off. Truck-mounted equipment continues to operate without interruption during the recharging process.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has created several programs that not only encourage companies to invest in green or sustainable technologies, but also help them establish and maintain these technologies by providing funding. One such program is Clean Cities, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Program (VTP). Clean Cities is a government and industry partnership whose goal is to reduce petroleum use in the transportation/vehicle sector. They do this by coordinating strategies and resources, and providing coalitions with information, incentives and funding available from the DOE, and other federal agencies. For more information, visit http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/index.html .
Verizon trucks on YouTube! Check out this exciting video of a hybrid truck in motion!