States Test-Drive Hybrid School Buses
By Ron Barnett
"(School buses) drive defined routes and have more than one opportunity to be charged per day," Duvall says.
There is some federal help available. Clean School Bus USA, a public-private environmental partnership run by the Environmental Protection Agency, has grant money for efforts to reduce children's exposure to pollution from diesel school buses. The Napa Valley (Calif.) Unified School District got a $30,000 grant for its project.
California could be the place that helps push the number of orders toward the 1,000 mark, says Ralph Knight, the district's director of transportation. "I think California is really where it's going to hit the streets much harder and faster than any other state," Knight says.
PLUG-IN POWER
A look at the hybrid school bus:
How it works
• Power to the wheels comes from an electric motor and a diesel engine.
• The bus uses mainly electricity at lower speeds and primarily diesel fuel at highway speeds.
• The diesel fuel runs a generator that charges the batteries.
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