Hop on a Hybrid
The hybrid buses, powered by a small, clean-diesel engine and batteries, are the first of six such vehicles to hit Edmonton streets in a pilot project running until the end of the year. First reactions to the hip hybrids? "Really positive," says ETS Transit Manager Charlie Stolte. "Edmonton is leading the pack," along with Toronto and Vancouver. In a partnership with the University of Alberta, ETS will also test two other types of alternative buses. By the end of summer 2008, the city will launch 216 clean diesel- engine buses, which meet stringent California emission standards. A new trolley bus, featuring an alternative propulsion unit (APU, which uses a backup generator if the trolley is briefly off its electric overhead line) will also be tested. During the pilot project, ETS will assess all three systems for cost, reliability, performance, maintenance costs, fuel efficiency, noise and environmental impact. In theory, hybrid buses can save up to 50 per cent of the fuel needed to power a regular diesel bus. But results to date in Toronto and New York suggest a more realistic savings of 20 per cent. "What happens in a lab is one thing - a road test is another," says ETS Fleet and Facility Director John Sirovyak. Still, he notes a 20-per-cent saving is significant when your annual diesel fuel budget is $12 million. The major drawback with hybrids is the purchase price of about $700,000 each, compared with $400,000 for a regular diesel bus. Although the hybrid saves on fuel and brake life (the electric motor helps slow the bus), Sirovyak doesn't think the financial payback is there. A new trolley with the APU will also cost $1.2 million. The question is what value do you put on emissions? Thus the ETS is looking beyond the bottom line to also consider the environmental and social implications. Even the existing, much-loved Edmonton trolley buses run on coal-fired electricity, which produces considerable emissions. "People are supportive (of hybrids) because they see them as the way of the future," says Stolte. "One of the signs of a progressive community is it embraces new technology." |
Seen a giant hummingbird fly by you in traffic lately? The hummingbird - fluttering against a blue sky and puffy white clouds - is emblazoned on two new hybrid buses, launched by the Edmonton Transit System (ETS) last December.