Hybrid school buses to arrive in 11 states this school-year
Submitted by Shawn
2006-07-29 10:05:52
IC Corporation is about to deliver 19 hybrid school-buses to the following entities:
* North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (2 buses)
* South Carolina Department of Educations (2 buses)
* State of New York (2 buses)
* Florida Department of Education (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)
* Jennings Transportation, Nazareth, Pa. (1 bus)
The hybrid school bus project features Enova's post-transmission 80-kilowatt Hybrid Drive System and was extensively tested and 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® VT365 V8 diesel engine with the 80-kilowatt hybrid-electric powertrain, incorporating a transmission, batteries and an electric motor. The system is based on a parallel architecture, allowing the system to utilize both diesel and electric power in a highly efficient manner.
The system recovers kinetic energy during regenerative braking, charging the batteries while the bus is slowing down. This provides additional power for acceleration, making school buses ideal candidates for hybrid technology because of the frequent stops and starts they perform along their daily routes.
Through its Plug-In Hybrid Electric School Bus Project, Advanced Energy, a Raleigh, N.C.-based nonprofit corporation, initiated a buyer's consortium of school districts, state energy agencies and student transportation providers. After issuing nationwide Request for Proposals (RFPs) for hybrid school buses in June 2006, Advanced Energy announced at the 13th Annual School Transportation News Expo that IC Corporation, the nation's largest school bus manufacturer, won the bid and will provide up to 19 hybrid school buses to those 11 states.
More information about the program can be found at <a href="http://www.hybridschoolbus.org">http://www.hybridschoolbus.org</a>