More On Hybrid School Buses
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.27.07
Justin recently introduced us to the hybrid school bus. Now, Via Yahoo Finance News, we are able to learn the details:- IC Corporation Delivers the First Hybrid School Buses That Can Attain Up To 70-100 Percent Increase in Fuel Efficiency, 90 Percent Reduction in Emissions. "The new hybrid school buses are built by IC Corporation, the nation's largest school bus manufacturer, and Enova Systems, a leading provider of hybrid drive systems. The hybrid bus is a result of a nationwide initiative called the Plug-In Hybrid Electric School Bus Project. A total of 19 hybrid buses have been awarded to states around the country by Advanced Energy, a non-profit corporation that initiated a buyer's consortium of school districts, state energy agencies and student transportation providers...The initial power train for the hybrid school bus will couple an International® VT365 V8 diesel engine with the 25/80-kilowatt hybrid-electric power train, incorporating a transmission, batteries and an electric motor...The hybrid school buses are also outfitted with a proprietary GPS system called AWARE(TM) Vehicle Intelligence that allows school officials to track the exact location and performance..." TreeHugger notes two related subjects of great importance.
School buses are generally not air conditioned; and with windows commonly open in warm weather, children are thus exposed to much diesel exhaust while in cue for pickup or drop off. At the low speeds experienced during pick-up and drop-off, this hybrid system offers much promise for reduced diesel particulate exposure reduction. Second, because the top of a school bus covers many hundreds of square feet, and because school buses are typically parked outdoors through the middle of the day, away from the fleet garage - bracketing the sun's daily zenith - hybrid bus roofs would be ideal for incorporating thin film solar photo-voltaic technologies as they become more cost competitive.
These members of Advanced Energy's buyers' consortium are currently scheduled to receive buses:* North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (2 buses)
* South Carolina Department of Educations (2 buses)
* State of New York (2 buses)
* Napa Valley Unified School District, Napa Valley, Calif. (1 bus)
* Durham School Services, Everett, Wash. (1 bus)
* Lake Chelan School District, Chelan, Wash. (1 bus)
* City of Seattle (1 bus)
* Little Rock, Ark., School District (1 bus)
* Sigourney Community School District, Sigourney, Iowa (1 bus)
* Nevada Community Schools, Nevada, Iowa (1 bus)
* Killeen Independent School District, Texas (1 bus)
* Austin Independent School District, Texas (1 bus)
* Fairfax County, Va. (1 bus)
* Florida Department of Education (2 buses) - DELIVERED
* Jennings Transportation, Nazareth, Pa. (1 bus) - DELIVERED
The idea of hybrid school buses is amazing. As a former student at the biggest high school in Virginia, it was a disaster for all 6 senses: the smell, the sight of the smog lifting up into the air, the sound of the exhaust spitting out another cloud, and the tingling it perpetrates on your eyes when you walk through it. As an environmentalist, anything that gets rid of smog in the air is a blessing. I only wish they were a little more widespread. Hybrid vehicles are growing in popularity, but I say we BAN gasoline cars. The idea is sensible: America has so many cars and so much pollution. Why not get rid of it’s biggest contributor? But anyways, hybrid buses are a good step. I love to see Fairfax County Public Schools getting into the mix by getting one bus.
Those are amazing improvements! It will be a joyful day when all buses are hybrid! Great post...this is a very cool website.
Hybrid buses are not just a good but a necessary transportation step forward. More electricity, and less diesel fumes means health security for our children and less dependence upon fossils.
I used to ride electric buses to school each day years ago. When the diesels came along, I used to shudder every time I saw one because of the terrible smell.
Inner city transport should return to the use of electric systems just to protect air quality. India has banned the use of diesel motors manufactured before 1995 in their large cities because of the high incidence of respiratory illnesses.
Our ultimate goal should be to change our transportation system from liquid fuels to electricity as soon as possible in order to reach energy independence and transport sustainability. The move to hybrids is the first step in this direction but by no means will it be the last.
The recent arrest of over 170 terrorists in Arabia, some of whom had planned to attack the refinery, only emphasizes that we cannot be forever dependent upon a continuous overseas source of oil. Any disruption of oil processing facilities in the Mideast would create extreme spikes in oil and thus gasoline prices here. Anyone thinking otherwise may be seriously mistaken. Note the rise in the price of oil by $1.30/barrel just at the news of the arrests.
adrianakau@aol.com
I think that school boards should consider increasing the use of regular transit type buses as school buses, as is common in Europe. Equipped with additional safety equipment (e.g. flashing lights and stop arms), transit buses would be as safe as traditional school buses (aside from the yellow school bus color), and they could be used on regular routes when not needed as school buses, therefore increasing vehicle utilisation and reducing the number of buses needed. Transit buses also have the advantage of not having blind spots at the front of the bus (unlike most school buses) and of low floor construction (on newer models) allowing wheelchair accessibility.
Hopefully more school districts will look to switching. With all the stopping buses do, it only makes sense to switch.
it reaks like liers buses will not be any safer