USA – Terex Utilties, a brand of Terex Corporation – manufacturer of lifting and material-handling plant based in Norwalk, Connecticut – introduced what it claims to be the world’s first all-electric bucket truck, or truck-mounted aerial work platform, at the Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference (EUFMC) in Williamsburg, Virginia on 6 June. 

The industry-first truck body is built on an International eMV Series chassis, a medium-duty electric truck chassis manufactured by Navistar. Mounted to the truck is a 55-foot ‘Optima’ aerial work platform (colloquially known as a “cherry picker”), made by Terex Utilities at its site in Watertown, South Dakota. The power take-off is a plug-in electric system, called ‘SmartPTO’, which was developed by Greenville, South Carolina-based start up firm Viatec Inc. The vehicle-agnostic PTO electrically powers all the utility truck’s hydraulic functions and can also provide auxiliary power to the vehicle electronics while the truck is switched off. Terex claims that the vehicle has a 135-mile range and the capability to operate the bucket or work platform for a full workday on a single charge.