The Tennessee Valley Authority, which plans to convert its entire passenger car fleet and at least half of its cargo vehicles to electric vehicles by 2030, is testing out a new version of Volkswagen’s SUV to use for its line maintenance crews.
Under an agreement announced this week with TVA, Volkswagen has modified its ID.4 model with a number of enhancements to allow TVA to use the vehicle for its drone response team that helps inspect and maintain TVA’s more than 16,000 miles of transmission lines.
VW said the test vehicle, a “Mobile Drone Response Vehicle,” has added a trunk-housed custom storage unit for drone and field equipment and the vehicle is outfitted with a portable power station.
VW has also added a Thule Caprock platform roof rack, supplemented with a Thule retractable side awning, along with a heavy-duty suspension and bigger wheels to haul the weight of additional equipment. A full-display digital rearview mirror also gives more visibility for the driver, VW said.
The Mobile Drone Response Vehicle will debut at the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas on Nov. 1, Volkswagen said.