The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has been tracking a fleet of
hybrid buses operating in Seattle, Washington for the past year and has just issued their final report. The fleet of ten New Flyer buses are equipped with a GM-Allison two-mode hybrid drive-train, similar to the one that will be used late next year on GMT900 SUVs as well as
Chrysler and
BMW vehicles. The study compared the hybrid buses against standard
diesel buses running similar duty cycles. The hybrid buses achieved 27 percent better
fuel economy, while the diesels also had 4.5 perent higher maintenance costs. When the fuel and maintenance costs are combined, the hybrids had an operating cost of $1.06 per mile while the diesels were at $1.25 per mile. Emissions testing of a hybrid and diesel bus also showed an advantage for the hybrid.
Related:
Related:
- New biodiesel study shows no increase in NOx emissions using B20
- 100,000-mile B20 bus road tests: biodiesel increases operating costs slightly, reduces emissions
