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Hybrid Buses

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years, 6 months ago

California's First Plug-In Hybrid School Bus Has Enova's Post Transmission Technology

Monday August 13, 12:00 am ET

 
Hybrid System Offers Up to 100% Fuel Economy Improvement; Reduces Emissions by Up to 90 Percent

 

TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Enova Systems,  a production company in an emerging clean energy, environmentally friendly industry and a developer of proprietary electric, hybrid and fuel cell digital power management systems, announced today that the Napa Unified School District has received a new plug-in hybrid electric school bus. The bus, provided by IC Corporation could see up to a 100% fuel economy improvement, as well as a 90% reduction in emissions.

 

More than 150 attendees were on-hand Friday at a ceremony in Napa when the hybrid school bus was officially delivered. The school district will become the first in California, and one of only eight school districts in the U.S., to operate the new hybrid school bus that has the potential to double fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by up to 90 percent.

 

Mike Staran, Enova's President and COO, said, "Enova's alliance with IC Corporation is very strong and we look forward to growing together in the North American bus market. We expect significant short and long term opportunity in this market."

 

The new bus is a result of a nationwide initiative called the Plug-In Hybrid Electric School Bus Project, led by Raleigh, N.C.-based Advanced Energy, a non-profit corporation that initiated a buyer's consortium of school districts, state energy agencies and student transportation providers. The hybrid plug-in school bus is built by IC Corporation, the nation's largest school bus manufacturer. The hybrid school buses are manufactured at IC Corporation's plant in Conway, Ark. Randall Ray, IC Corporation's Platform Manager on the hybrid school bus project, stated, "The development of the Enova hybrid system integrates well with both our chassis and the duty cycle of a school bus, we feel this should provide a significant step forward for everyone involved."

 

While the exterior of the hybrid school bus looks the same as a standard school bus, it is powered with innovative new technology. The hybrid school bus project features Enova's Charge Depleting System (or "Plug In"), which was extensively evaluated at IC Corporation's research and technology facility in Fort Wayne, Ind.

 

The initial powertrain for the hybrid school bus will couple an International® MaxxForce 7 diesel engine with the 25/80-kilowatt hybrid-electric powertrain, incorporating a transmission, batteries and an electric motor. The Post Transmission System is one in which the Electric Drive System is integrated behind the Transmission and is designed to be installed as a "drop in," fully integrated turnkey fashion into an OEM production line, or retrofitted in post vehicle production in a modular, "as-needed" basis. Enova's Post Transmission System has proven, in other applications, to be a non-invasive system that has required little to no modifications to chassis, body, instrument panel, etc. In addition, our system does not intrude on the Engine Control/Communication system. The system monitors, but does not impact the engine operation parameters within the diesel powerplant.

 

Enova's Charge Sustaining System utilizes relatively small batteries which are maintained within a specified range of State of Charge (SOC) over the entire drive cycle. Battery charge is maintained by the on-board equipment and is not normally recharged from the grid except as needed for cell balancing. The Charge Depleting (or "Plug In") System utilizes a larger battery based on advanced battery chemistry that provides stored energy intended to be drawn down over the driving cycle, thus optimizing fuel economy, subsequent to an overnight charge.

 

Depending on the route, fuel economy miles per gallon (mpg) improvement is from 30% to 55% for a Post Transmission Charge Sustaining System, and as much as 70-100% for Post transmission Charge Depleting Systems. Emission improvements vary with the pollutant being measured and has shown up to a 90% improvement at times on Particulate Matter based on load and operating conditions.

 

 

New England's First Fuel Cell-powered Hybrid Bus Begins Service In Hartford

 

 

Source: UTC

Apr 11, 2007

 

 

SYNOPSIS: CTTRANSIT and project partners will gather and analyze data on fuel economy, maintenance costs and reliability.

 

New England's first zero-emission fuel cell-powered hybrid bus made its debut today in ceremonies at the Connecticut Convention Center.

 

U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., and officials from the Federal Transit Administration, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Greater Hartford Transit District, CTTRANSIT, Capitol Region Council of Governments and UTC Power were on hand as the 40-foot hybrid electric fuel cell transit bus quietly rolled out onto the streets of Hartford.

 

The bus will immediately enter CTTRANSIT service and operate first on the free downtown Hartford Star Shuttle route, and then in a few months on other routes that serve the capital city and surrounding towns. This will be done to meet the project goal of testing the bus in all types of typical transit service, including low and high speeds, and routes with steep grades.

 

The many benefits of this fuel cell-powered hybrid bus include zero harmful tailpipe emissions, smooth and quiet operation and fuel efficiency that is expected to be two times better than a standard diesel-powered bus. The clean operation means it will have an immediate positive impact on street- level emissions. These benefits are reflected in the distinctive green, leafy graphics on the sides of the bus.

"The people who live and work in Hartford and the people who visit the city are not only going to enjoy riding this quiet bus, but also will like the fact it emits nothing but water vapor, making for cleaner air for all of us to breathe," said Jan van Dokkum, UTC Power president.

 

The Greater Hartford Transit District contracted last year with UTC Power for the fuel cell-powered bus and two years of program support, including the use of a hydrogen refueling station located at UTC Power's headquarters in South Windsor, Connecticut. The bus was transferred to CTTRANSIT, Connecticut's state-owned bus system. Operation of the bus will be funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

 

In addition to UTC Power and CTTRANSIT, the special project partnership includes AC Transit of Oakland, California, which now has three UTC Power fuel cell-powered buses in operation; Van Hool of Belgium, one of the world's largest bus and coach manufacturers; and ISE Corporation of Poway, California, a leading integrator of hybrid-electric and integrated fuel cell drive systems for buses. A $2.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to the Greater Hartford Transit District has funded the bus and infrastructure to support this and future fuel cell transportation projects in Greater Hartford.

 

UTC Power has provided fuel cell power plants for fleet transportation since 1998 and its fuel cells have powered buses in the United States, Spain and Italy; another new bus will soon debut in Belgium. UTC Power is a United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) company.

 

Additionally, UTC Power and its partners are participating in three multimillion-dollar zero-emission transit bus projects in California and Washington, D.C., as part of an FTA $49 million cost-shared program. Congress established the National Fuel Cell Bus Technology Development Program in 2005 to facilitate development of commercially viable fuel cell bus technology. The FTA goal is to have fuel cell buses represent 10 percent of new U.S. transit bus purchases starting in the year 2015.

 

UTC Power's PureMotion(TM) fuel cell system for transit buses represents more than six years of research and development in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense through the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command and the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium.

 

United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), based in Hartford, Conn., provides high-technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries. Its UTC Power unit, based in South Windsor, Conn., is a full- service provider of environmentally advanced power solutions. With nearly 50 years of experience, UTC Power is a world leader in developing and producing fuel cells for on-site power, transportation, space and defense applications, and a developer of innovative combined cooling, heating and power applications for the distributed energy market.

United Technologies Fuel cell BusEcon Sig : Transportation Feb 10, 2007

 

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