Growing Market - Hybrid Electric Buses

September 5, 2004 – Vol.9 No.24

GROWING MARKET - HYBRID ELECTRIC BUSES.

True enough, hybrid electric passenger cars, and soon SUV’s, don’t dominate the world’s roadways. Not by a long shot. But unlike conventional vehicles, every hybrid that gets built is sold almost immediately. Conventional vehicles wait on dealer parking lots to be sold. People wait in line to buy hybrids.

If the car/SUV sector of the hybrid market is doing so well how are other markets?

New Flyer, North America’s largest builder of transit buses, has now become the market leader in hybrid electric transit buses. By the end of 2004 the company will have 309 heavy-duty hybrid buses in passenger service in North America.

Notable sales for New Flyer include 235 DE60LF 60-foot articulated diesel/electric buses for King County Metro and Sound Transit (Seattle, Washington), 32 DE40LF 40-foot diesel/electric buses for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and 27 GE40LF 40-foot gasoline/electric buses for Long Beach Transit (Long Beach, California.)

Hybrid buses designated DE get a Caterpillar diesel mated with Allison’s Dual Mode Compound Split Parallel Electric Hybrid system (EP50). Those designated GE get ISE Research’s ThunderVolt hybrid drive system that uses a Ford V-10 gasoline engine. The ThunderVolt system, running on 87-octane gasoline, has an advantage over the diesel of offering emissions low enough to meet California standards.

Fuel savings for the hybrids are up to 40 percent. Regenerative braking, which helps recharge battery packs, reduces wear and tear on brakes. Brakes are a high maintenance item on transit buses which spend their lifetimes stopping and going.

Visit New Flyer at http://www.newflyer.com/ , Allison at http://www.allisontransmission.com/ and ISE Research at http://www.isecorp.com/