9 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago First-of-a-kind hybrid trucks in Vermont Play video

(Anya Huneke, NECN: Milton, Vermont) - Some elementary school students in Vermont got a first look Friday at the latest hybrid vehicles.

Script:

To the untrained eye, it appears to be a typical utility truck, but officials at Central Vermont Public Service say it is actually the wave of the future. At Milton Elementary School on Friday, CVPS unveiled the newest member of its fleet - a hybrid bucket truck. It's the first of its kind in New England.

Steve: "It uses both electricity and gas to power the vehicle and the boom."

Dan: "This area here - the battery - the battery's heated and cooled..."

If all goes according to plan, the truck will use up to 60-percent less fuel than a traditional bucket truck. Since the vehicles guzzle about $9,000 dollars each worth of fuel every year that translates into big savings, and a big cut in emissions.

Dan: "You're looking at roughly a reduction of 14 tons in CO2 emissions annually with just this truck."

Vermont currently has the lowest carbon emissions in the country, and the biggest contributor to the state's carbon footprint is transportation. So, companies like CVPS saw a prime opportunity to address climate change.

Steve: "That's our Achilles heal if you will in Vermont. These vehicles represent 45% of emissions in Vermont. If we can attack those and reduce them significantly, it'll make a big impact."

There's also a safety benefit to the hybrid truck, it's quieter

"It's really cool to see a truck like this - it's so big, and it runs on electricity."

Which, as many here already knew, is better for the environment.

"Mother Earth is getting hurt and is trying to tell us something - not to use a lot of gas."

For now, this is the only hybrid bucket truck in the CVPS fleet, but if it proves itself - by saving fuel and money, and by weathering Vermont winters, you're sure to see many more of them on the road down the line.