Electric and Hybrid Buses Move Centerstage

摘要

This paper will examine the latest data and field reports to provide a summary report of how electric and hybrid buses powered by Solectria technology are being used successfully in service around the country everyday. Since 1992, Solectria Corporation has provided electric and hybrid drive systems to more than 60 buses now on the road across the US. The buses powered by Solectria components have ranged from 22-foot shuttles, to school buses, to full-size 40-foot transit buses. Operating conditions for these buses vary from the daily sunshine and perpetual tropical breezes of the South Miami coast, to the frigid winters of the Northeast. These buses have been powered by a variety of energy sources including pure battery electric, hybrid CNG-electric, and hybrid diesel-electric. Several of the hybrid buses have incorporated internal combustion engines, while others have relied on compact turbines for onboard power generation. The implementation of these buses has been closely scrutinized as a way to monitor and evaluate the benefits to the public and to the transit authority of introducing electric and hybrid bus technology, e.g., decreased emissions and noise, reduced maintenance, increased ridership, etc. Solectria and the transit authorities have begun to amass a substantial amount of feedback from bus operators, transit passengers, and maintenance staff, allowing conclusions to be drawn concerning the perception and likely evolution of electric and hybrid electric bus drive technology.