GMP Crushes Heavy Duty Field Truck to Flatten Fossil Fuel Fleet Emissions at Destroy-a-Truck Event
New All-Electric Lion Replacement Truck a Major First Step that Cuts Costs and Carbon Emissions for All Customers
Pittsford, Vt. – Green Mountain Power (GMP) today intentionally destroyed a heavy-duty truck that was well-used by a Rutland-based field electric maintenance team and replaced it with an all-electric Lion stake body truck. The Destroy-a-Truck event took place at GHR Recycling in Pittsford, where guests got to check out the new all-electric truck. Making the old truck unusable is a requirement of a state of Vermont grant to speed replacement of fossil fuel vehicles with clean electric.
“What an amazing symbol of this first big step to electrify our entire field fleet – crushing a fossil fuel truck!” exclaimed Tiana Smith, GMP’s head of Electrification as the team at GHR recycling spent ten minutes flattening the old truck. “This new all-electric truck and an all-electric line truck on its way will displace about 100 tons of carbon emissions per year, all while making the grid more flexible and resilient and reducing costs for all GMP customers through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging.”
Driving with fossil fuels is the largest source of carbon pollution in Vermont, about 40% according to the latest data from the Energy Action Network, so any time drivers switch to clean electric it helps the state reach its climate goals. Vermont provided a grant of about $915,000 in VW settlement funds to help launch GMP’s fleet-wide switch away from fossil fuel, and GMP will gather data for the state on truck performance and charging, as well as emissions reductions.
Roger Bathalon has been driving trucks for 25 years and works in substation operations at GMP. He will be regularly using the new electric truck and attended the truck crushing event. He says he’s not sad to see the old truck go. “The new truck is pretty cool. There’s a lot of pick up and it has a real smooth and quiet ride,” he said.
The stake body truck has 200 miles of range. The trucks will reduce both carbon and noise pollution in communities where GMP works to keep Vermonters powered up. A 60% reduction in maintenance and an 80% drop in fuel costs is also expected because like all electric vehicles, the new trucks have no combustion engines. GMP will further help to reduce costs by about $100,000 for all GMP customers with V2G charging, allowing the truck batteries to share energy with the grid during peak usage times.
GMP has financial incentives to help business and residential customers switch away from fossil fuel for driving, including rebates when you purchase or lease, free home chargers, and discount home charging rates. GMP also has several upcoming ride n drive events for customers to check out electric vehicles.
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power serves approximately 270,000 residential and business customers in Vermont with electricity that’s 100% carbon free and 68% renewable, and GMP is partnering with them to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is providing solutions to cut carbon and is delivering electricity that is clean, affordable, and always on. GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use business as a force for good. In 2022, GMP was named to TIME’s list of the 100 Most Influential Companies. Fast Company named GMP one of the top five Most Innovative Companies in North America in 2022. GMP also earned a spot on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the World list in the energy sector four years in a row, and in 2021 the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) honored GMP as a nationwide leader in energy transformation.
Kristin Carlson, Green Mountain Power
(802) 229-8200
[email protected]
What an amazing symbol of this first big step to electrify our entire field fleet – crushing a fossil fuel truck!
Tiana Smith, GMP Head of Electrification
