PSE&G to Buy Hybrid Trucks

New Jersey utility company Public Service Electric and Gas Co. Tuesday unveiled plans Tuesday to replace 1,300 vehicles with hybrids and making changes in other areas of its corporate fleet.

The moves will reduce its carbon emissions by more than 81,000 tons, the company said.

During the next decade, the utility will invest in hybrid cars and light trucks, hybrid “bucket truck” prototypes, electric-drives and alternative fuels in an effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, the utility said.

PSE&G said it will become one of the first U.S. utilities to use hybrid aerial lifts, commonly known as bucket trucks. The specialized vehicles allow utility workers to assess and repair power lines located atop utility poles.

The new hybrid trucks were recently introduced to the market with limited availability, but PSE&G has already purchased two, which it is scheduled to receive later this year.