Search Site   
News Stories at a Glance
Deere 4440 cab tractor racked up $18,000 at farm retirement auction
Indiana legislature passes bills for ag land purchases, broadband grants
Make spring planting safety plans early to avoid injuries
Michigan soybean grower visits Dubai to showcase U.S. products
Scientists are interested in eclipse effects on crops and livestock
U.S. retail meat demand for pork and beef both decreased in 2023
Iowa one of the few states to see farms increase in 2022 Ag Census
Trade, E15, GREET, tax credits the talk at Commodity Classic
Ohioan travels to Malta as part of US Grains Council trade mission
FFA members learn about Australian culture, agriculture during trip
Timing of Dicamba ruling may cause issues for 2024 planting
   
Archive
Search Archive  
   
1st hybrid buses outdo diesel in fuel usage; have other problems

By DOUG SCHMITZ
Iowa Correspondent

RALEIGH, N.C. — Although two of the nation’s first plug-in, hybrid-electric buses driven by two Iowa school districts outperformed their diesel bus counterparts in fuel efficiency, both experienced similar maintenance problems during road tests, according to Iowa State University (ISU) transportation researchers.

“This project provides operational benefits to school districts, while also providing the reduced emissions desired by the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and a valuable return on investment to school boards,” said Ewan Pritchard, hybrid program manager for Raleigh, N.C.-based Advanced Energy, which worked with ISU to bring the buses to Iowa.

Iowa was one of 11 states selected for the two-year study, conducted by ISU’s Center for Transportation Research and Education, which helped the Nevada (Iowa) and Sigourney community school districts test the performance of the first-ever hybrid buses.

The other 10 states’ school districts taking part in the study were in New York, California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas and Washington, for a total distribution of 19 hybrid buses.

According to the report, the first hybrid bus, driven by the Nevada district, achieved fuel economy 30 percent better than a comparison diesel bus that ran similar routes. The second hybrid bus, operated by the Sigourney district, achieved fuel economy that was 36 percent higher than a comparison bus.

But despite the high performance of the first-generation hybrid buses, the Iowa road tests of the two buses, driven at street speeds, revealed similar charging problems that kept both buses’ electric motors out of service for long periods of time. The report said the charging system prevented the batteries from taking a charge, which resulted in the electric motors not operating and the V-8 diesel engines kicking in and taking over.

The end result, the report added, was that both buses worked routes for long periods without a functioning hybrid system. However, Shauna Hallmark, ISU associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, and a transportation engineer for the university’s Institute for Transportation, said the fuel economy results were promising for hybrid school buses.
Started in 2002 and conducted in four phases, the Plug-in Hybrid Electric School Bus Project is a collaborative effort led by Advanced Energy, to transform the nation’s school bus market by introducing plug-in hybrid technology. The buses were built by IC Corp. in Warrenville, Ill., and equipped with an Enova Systems, Inc. hybrid-electric drivetrain.

ISU researchers secured grants that paid for most of the $217,000 cost of each bus, with the districts each paying about $70,000, the standard cost of a conventional bus. The project is also supported by grants of $220,000 from the ISU-based Iowa Energy Center (IEC), $120,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and $83,000 from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the School Administrators of Iowa.
“The Energy Center’s participation in the bus project, along with all the other national sponsors, proved a force that moved manufacturers to develop the first generation of hybrid electric school bus,” said Floyd Barwig, IEC director.

“We look forward to having CTRE (ISU’s Center for Transportation Research and Education) analyze the energy and environmental performance of the buses so we can pass that information along to other schools in Iowa.”

Currently, U.S. school districts transport 24 million children in 450,000 school buses over four billion miles every year, burning 1.1 billion gallons of fuel annually.

Richard Scott, the director of buildings and grounds and head of transportation for the Nevada Community School District, said the hybrid bus his district has been running isn’t yet addressing the issue of cleaner running hybrid school buses.

“It’s had some problems,” he said. “Overall, the concept is all right. But fuel mileage isn’t what we hoped it would be. And there have been problems with the battery and connections. The hybrid wouldn’t charge and wouldn’t work.”

Dan Taghon, director of transportation for the Sigourney Community School District in southeastern Iowa, said the bus worked well for the first 18 months. He estimated about 10 miles per gallon, compared to the 12 that was expected, and the 6-7 miles per gallon of a standard diesel bus. But when the weather turned cold last fall, Taghon said the bus experienced problems taking a charge; while the manufacturer tried to fix the electrical system, the problems remained.

“The cold weather must affect it,” said Taghon, who’s been driving the district’s six routes in the hybrid bus. “We just seem to have more issues in the cold.”

ISU researchers will continue studying the fuel economy of the hybrid buses through May, and conduct emission tests this spring.
“This technology is new to school buses,” said Dennis Kroeger, former transportation research specialist at ISU’s Center for Transportation Research and Education. “But hybrid electric technology isn’t brand new. So the development issues have been worked out. We expect these buses will definitely be able to stretch the fuel dollars.”

3/31/2010