Arizona Public Service (APS) is replacing its 2,138 fleet vehicles – cars, forklifts, ATVs, bucket trucks, etc. – with electric alternatives where economically feasible.
“Just as we’ve worked to modernize our grid and provide cleaner energy, we are now modernizing our fleet to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Donna Easterly, APS Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer.
“The fleet will be more efficient and last longer, and our bucket trucks will operate more quietly which makes inspecting and repairing power lines safer for our linemen and less disruptive for our customers.”
Electric vehicles are helping APS reduce emissions and fuel costs.
The company is purchasing less fuel for its vehicles, which are driven across the state in communities from the Grand Canyon to Yuma, Douglas to Gila Bend.
Plug-in hybrid electric bucket trucks do not require engine idling to operate the lift and tools necessary for APS linemen to their jobs. Instead, these trucks use an on-demand electric motor, reducing engine hours.
This reduction in engine hours also translates to fewer oil changes, fewer filters and less impact on the environment.
The company maintains 213 bucket trucks. Six of the 15 in the Prescott area have so far been replaced by the new plug-in hybrid electric bucket trucks, said Jenna Shaver, a communications consultant with APS. More are expected to be replaced in the area as it becomes feasible and the vehicles become commercially available, she said.
When all of the company’s trucks are converted, it anticipates saving 110,760 gallons of fuel per year – equivalent to removing nearly 2.2 million pounds of CO2 from the air.
“Our customers look to us to be good stewards of the environment,” said Ann Becker, APS Vice President of Environmental and Chief Sustainability Officer. “Our fleet electrification initiative combines environmental responsibility with good business sense. Evolving as technology evolves helps us build a smarter, faster, cleaner energy future for Arizona. And that’s really what our mission boils down to – improving every day for the benefit of our customers.”
For more information about APS’s greener, quieter fleet, visit aps.com/next.
Arizona Public Service serves nearly 1.2 million customers in 11 of the state’s 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp.
