Washington, D.C., July 3, 2008 -- The Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), the trade association promoting battery, hybrid, plug-in, and fuel cell electric drive technologies and infrastructure, announced that DUECO has joined its general membership. EDTA members include automotive and equipment manufacturers, energy companies, technology developers, component suppliers, and government agencies.

DUECO manufactures medium and heavy duty vehicles and equipment. DUECO, in conjunction with Odyne, recently developed a plug-in hybrid system for an aerial bucket truck.

DUECO's plug-in hybrid aerial bucket truck is designed to reduce engine idle time by using a 35kWh battery pack to power the aerial device at the worksite and provide electrical air-conditioning and exportable power. The system is also designed to reduce fuel consumption during normal driving by using the electric motor to assist the conventional power train and capture energy during braking.

"Fleet owners are as pained at the pump as consumers, and looking for solutions," says EDTA president Brian Wynne. "DUECO's plug-in electric drive products show that this technology performs well in just about every type of vehicle application, providing significant fuel savings and emissions reductions. We are pleased to have this medium/heavy duty sector represented by DUECO. Plug-in hybrid bucket trucks are of particular interest to EDTA's utility company members."

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Thu Jul 03 06:02:00 CDT 2008