Filed under: Hybrid, Transportation Alternatives, Natural Gas
First natural gas hybrid bus running in San Diego
San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has announced the launch of a bus which not only features a hybrid powertrain, but also uses natural gas as fuel. The drivetrain was installed in a regular bus and it's made up from a Cummins ISB Gas Plus engine, a Siemens 165kW electrical generator, two Siemens duo inverters, two Siemens 85kW drive motors and Cobasys-developed NiMH batteries. Some alterations had to be made to the standard chassis to adapt it to the new configuration. The $1 million bus will not only improve overall consumption figures, but will also burn a cleaner fuel which, while still producing CO2, reduces NOx pollutants and noise pollution. All aboard.
[Source: NGV and MTS]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James Bowe 9:01AM (4/25/2008)
why is it that every bus has a huge flat face? why not seat the driver lower, slide the door back a bit and slope that baby? you can lower the seats a bit in the first row if necessary. it's not complex, it would certainly cut down on drag. how about the superbus? that thing ever gonna see the light of day?
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/10/17/stretch-batmobile-might-one-day-be-used-for-public-transportatio/
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slk23 11:33AM (4/25/2008)
James Bowe: aerodynamic drag is a relatively small factor for a vehicle weighing many tons that rarely goes faster than 40 mph.
As a tangent, the San Diego Zoo has been using CNG (or was it Propane?) powered buses since at least the '70s. Not hybrid, but pretty clean.
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John Baldwin 8:20AM (4/26/2008)
all buses should be based on natural gas and hybrid...with natural gas partially replaced by biomethane in due course. Its obvious that this is best for local air and for the planet.
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