Xcel Energy Inc., a utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving customers with gas and electricity, is looking to go electric itself.
The company, servicing customers in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico, announced it will be adding all-electric bucket trucks to its utilities vehicle fleet—becoming the first energy company in the US to do so.
The first Xcel Energy truck will be put to work in the Twin Cities of Minnesota in late June, with a second truck delivered to Denver, Colorado by the end of the year.
Xcel said that its crews will use these quiet, zero-emissions trucks to better maintain the electrical grids and provide fast response after storms.
“We’re proud to be the first energy company in the United States to add all-electric bucket trucks to our fleet,” stated Bob Frenzel, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Xcel Energy. “By adding these clean energy vehicles to our fleet, Xcel Energy is demonstrating its commitment to leading the clean energy transition by becoming a net-zero energy provider for all our customers’ energy needs — electricity, heating, and transportation, while also helping shape the electrification of the truck industry, which complements our overall vision to provide 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.”
Xcel Energy said it was one of the first energy companies to put forward a plan to electrify all its light-duty vehicles and 30 percent of its medium- and heavy-duty fleet by 2030.
The utility truck fleet is derived from Terex Utilities and Navistar. Navistar manufactures the International truck brand.
The truck has two electric sources—one each for the drivetrain and bucket lift mechanism.
The vehicle has a 135-mile driving range and allows Xcel utility truck operators to work with the bucket for a full workday on a single charge.
Xcel said its crew will test the vehicles over the next six to 12 months to provide feedback and to allow for electric vehicle transition. Excel currently has 1,000 aerial bucket trucks in its fleet across the US.