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Fact Sheet on Diesel Electric Powertrains
Transportation Research Board Report on Diesel-Hybrid Transit Buses
Breaking Diesel-Hybrid News
March 10, 2006 BusinessWeek
What should consumers look for to figure out the best model for the environment -- and their pocketbook?Consumers have had a hard time figuring out if gas-electric hybrid vehicles are worth the sticker prices, which are thousands...
March 2, 2006 Washington Post
WASHINGTON - The Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the panel's ranking Democrat proposed on Wednesday new tax incentives for businesses that buy vehicles that run on alternative fuels.The proposal would...
January 26, 2006
The first of Metro's 50 diesel hybrid buses hit Maryland streets Wednesday, ending a long-standing debate over whether the newer fuel technology was a smarter choice over more established natural gas buses.
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August 17, 2004
Today's diesel-powered trucks, buses and some off-road equipment (e.g., tractors) produce 80 percent less particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions - a key ingredient in the formation of smog - than those built...
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Diesel Hybrid Corner
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Diesel Hybrid Webinar
"Diesel Hybrids - The Best of Both Worlds"
View a Recorded Version of Live Webinar
FAQ from Live Q&A Session - Coming Soon!
Most heavy- and medium-duty vehicles use diesel engines because of their power, durability and efficiency. Now with the commercial availability of hybrid technologies, these two power sources are being married to further improve efficiency and reduce emissions in school and transit buses, delivery vehicles and other trucks. During this webinar speakers will discuss the combined technology, its performance and the cost-benefit analysis that should be undertaken as fleet managers buy new vehicles and policymakers look for ways to encourage adoption of cleaner technologies.
Indiana Unveils First Hybrid-Electric School Bus
GovTech.com
To kick off the Learn Green, Live Green initiative, Reed and members of the State School Bus Committee approved Indiana's first hybrid-electric school bus, which will go into daily use immediately at Randolph Eastern School Corporation.
"This is the right thing to do," said Cathy Stephen, Superintendent of Randolph Eastern School Corporation. "Schools need to lead in helping our problems with the environment, with our dependence on oil and in providing safe and healthy riding conditions for our students. This system has the potential to address all of these issues."
The bus was converted with new hybrid-electric technology designed Variable Torque Motors, LLC, a company based out of Fort Wayne. The retrofit includes an electric motor, a controller and an ultracapacitor that fit directly into the existing drive shaft. When the bus operates at or below 35 mph, it is propelled by the electric motor with a "boost" installed from the diesel engine when needed. Once the bus exceeds 35 mph, the diesel engine takes over and propels the bus. Read the full story.
School Officials Ride Hybrid Buses To Capitol
KCCI.com (IA)
The buses went into service Jan. 3 as part of an 11-state effort led by Advanced Energy, a North Carolina nonprofit group. Many of the school board members Tuesday said they would like to be more energy-efficient, and they came to Des Moines to get more answers.
"I was wondering if the buses were good for just rural areas or if they would function well in urban areas and driving long distances," said Erik Miles, who is on the Linn-Mar school board's energy committee.
The buses run on battery power when drivers stay under 40 mph; they switch to diesel when drivers accelerate. The result, supporters say, is a 50 percent increase in fuel efficiency. Read the full story.
Metro Buys Nearly 500 Hybrid Buses
WTOP-FM
WASHINGTON - Metro will buy 452 hybrid buses from General Motors, with an option for 500 more.
The hybrid order from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is one of the largest GM has ever had. GM received orders for more than 1,700 hybrid buses from transit agencies in Washington, Philadelphia and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Metro, which already has about 400 compressed, natural gas buses, wants to phase out traditional diesel buses, but the new hybrids won't hit the streets until 2009. When they do, they will save Metro money on fuel, reduce emissions and will be quieter and more efficient than their diesel counterparts. Read the full story.
Guess What's Under This Hood?
KCCI.com (IA)
NEVADA, Iowa -- Two Iowa school districts are part of a nationwide experiment that could save Iowa schools hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Sigourney and Nevada are testing two of the 19 new hybrid school buses running nationwide.
"It's very exciting, the new technology and everything. It's a lot of fun to drive," said Rich Scott, director of transportation for Nevada Schools. "You have to learn how to drive it to get the maximum effort out of it."
The Nevada bus hit the road on Jan. 3 and everyone hopes this is an experiment that works.
The bus is powered by a standard diesel engine pared with an electric motor. The electric motor runs the bus at slower speeds and then, when the bus hits 40 to 45 mph, the diesel engine kicks in to help. The brakes supply the power to recharge the electric engine's batteries. Read the full story.
Delivery Companies Switch to Diesel Hybrids
Christian Science Monitor
Coca-Cola Enterprises has started to do things differently in New York. It is using hybrid delivery trucks, which operate just like the cars, using a combination of batteries and horsepower. When the trucks are unloading, there will be no fumes and idling diesel engines.
Instead, the shiny new red-and-white trucks will have 32 percent better fuel economy. And the hybrids' greenhouse-gas emissions will be 90 percent less than those from regular trucks, according to the manufacturer of the new vehicle.
"It's a small step, but it's one of those steps that if we keep taking, we will be leaving a better world for our kids," says Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Coca-Cola's transition to hybrid trucks is part of a push by urban delivery companies to cut their greenhouse-gas emissions. As with the hybrid cars, demand for the green trucks is so strong that companies such as Coca-Cola are willing to pay a 35 to 40 percent premium over the cost of a normal delivery truck. Both FedEx and UPS are also building hybrid fleets in urban areas. In return, the companies cut their fuel consumption. Read the whole story.
Hybrid Buses Join School Fleets
The State (SC)
October 12, 2007
By Joy L. Woodson
South Carolina is among a handful of states participating in a hybrid school bus program aimed at reducing energy use and air pollution and improving fuel economy.
Richland 2 and Rock Hill 3 received the state’s first two hybrid diesel-electric school buses Thursday, part of the Plug-in Hybrid Electric School Bus Project, a nationwide initiative led by Raleigh-based Advanced Energy.
The hybrid buses can improve fuel economy by roughly 70 percent to 100 percent, depending on the bus route, according to Advanced Energy, and thus help offset rising fuel costs.
Here are a few other facts about the program:
What are hybrid plug-in buses?
The hybrid bus is powered by an 80-kilowatt electric motor and V-8 diesel engine. It also uses diesel fuel.
At lower speeds the electric motor is mostly engaged; at higher speeds, the diesel engine takes over. This dual system allows the charged electric battery to be used for about 40 miles, said Ewan Pritchard, hybrid program manager at Advanced Energy. Typically, the vehicle would be plugged in nightly to recharge. But the bus also can recover energy during braking. Read more.
Eaton Begins Hybrid Powertrain Production
August 17, 2007
Eaton Corp. said last week that its medium-duty diesel-electric hybrid power systems would be commercially available from four truck manufacturers next year, including Freightliner Corp., International Truck and Engine Corp., Kenworth Truck Co. and Peterbilt Motors. Until now, the hybrid systems have been used only in fleet tests.
The company will produce several hundred systems this year for customer deliveries next year. Production will increase over the next three years to meet demand, the company said in a release.
"Eaton formed this business unit almost seven years ago to provide a cleaner and more fuel-efficient future for the world's commercial vehicle fleet," said James E. Sweetnam, Eaton senior vice president and president of the Truck Group. "Now, we're poised to fulfill that goal with the help of our forward-looking OEM and fleet partners that share our vision."
More than 220 hybrid-powered vehicles using Eaton's system have been produced for testing and evaluation. Customers include FedEx Express, UPS, Coca-Cola Enterprises, The Pepsi Bottling Group and 14 utility fleets.
Hybrid Trucks Gain Traction
The Register-Guard (OR)
August 5, 2007
By Tim Christie
Hybrids aren't just for the Prius set any more.
The first generation of hybrid-diesel trucks are starting to hit the road, including two in Oregon set to go into service later this month. Organically Grown Co., the Eugene-based produce distributor, and Portland General Electric are both about to add hybrid trucks to their fleets.
The medium-duty, hybrid trucks are drawing strong interest from delivery firms, municipalities, utilities and the military for the same reason that hybrid cars have taken off with consumers in recent years: improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. Read the full article.
Diesel Technology Comes Out On Top in Challenge X Competition
Students in the Challenge X competition utilized a variety of diesel technologies in an effort to create a more fuel-efficient, eco-friendly showroom vehicle. Throughout the competition, university students from across North America worked in teams to re-engineer sport utility vehicles in order to decrease fuel consumption and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. The winning vehicle, created by a team from Mississippi State University, runs on a turbodiesel hybrid engine that uses B20 biodiesel fuel, allowing for a 40% increase in fuel economy and lower emissions. The winning model not only improved on fuel standards and emitted cleaner air, but also won in performance categories such as best acceleration, and highest drive quality and consumer acceptability.
Nation's Largest Diesel-Hybrid Fleet to Triple
In an effort to mitigate emissions and increase fuel economy as part of a city-wide focus on climate change, the city of Seattle is expected to order over 500 diesel-hybrid buses for its transit fleet over the next five years, Read the full article to learn how the program is funded and supported on various local and federal levels. Visit the Retrofit Toolkit to learn how funding for diesel retrofit projects can have similar benefits for local communities. For more on diesel's role in energy efficiency and climate change, read the Forum fact sheet.
DaimlerChrysler Releases Prototype Diesel-Hybrid Sprinter
DaimlerChrysler is releasing up to 20 Dodge Sprinter Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) in the United States between now and the first quarter of 2008 as part of a test-fleet program.
The hybrid concept is powered by a choice of two all-new premium engines, a 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine with 154 horsepower or 3.5-liter V-6 gas engine with 254 horsepower. The diesel version will yield the highest fuel economy benefit and is the first fleet test of a diesel plug-in hybrid system.
The Dodge Sprinter PHEVs can drive up to 20 miles on electric power only.
The driver has the ability to manually switch between modes as needed or automatically by the vehicle control system. Advanced lithium-ion battery research will accelerate future hybrid development. Battery technology is one of the keys to the success of hybrid transportation and the PHEVs will yield valuable information through durability tests.
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