by jboullion | Aug 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Town of Oconomowoc — Sandy Syburg has driven school buses for years – but none like these.
When they start rolling on their routes next week, these hybrid electric school buses won’t lurch forward the way conventional school buses do.
A diesel engine is least efficient when it’s trying to get a 27,000-pound vehicle moving from a full stop, Syburg said. Thanks to the hybrid technology, the electric motor kicks in first, with lithium-ion batteries powering the bus forward from a stop.
“It’s very smooth. It’s like a gust of wind when you’re sailing,” said Syburg, chief executive of Oconomowoc Transport Co.
In the bus terminal, Syburg can plug an electrical cord into the side of the bus so that solar panels can charge the batteries that run the vehicle’s electric motor.
To date, more than 100 hybrid school and commercial buses have rolled off of the IC Bus LLC assembly line since 2007. Eleven of them are plug-in hybrid electric school buses in Oconomowoc, ready to start the school year next week.
The investment, aided by a state grant through the federal stimulus package, aims to reduce diesel fuel use by 7,500 gallons a year. That would provide savings of $26,000 in fuel costs for the Oconomowoc Area School District at today’s diesel prices.
When they’re done with their morning school run, the buses will return to the bus company on Brown St. and their batteries will be recharged with the help of 224 solar panels that were erected by Renewable Energy Solutions of Waukesha.
It’s the first solar-electric charging station in the state, and it’s ready to power the biggest fleet of plug-in hybrid school buses in the country.
The buses are projected to result in saving because of a 50% gain in fuel economy. A typical bus gets 7 miles per gallon, but the hybrid technology will boost that to 12.
“It’s a little glimpse of the future; it’s very impressive,” said Mike Barry, assistant superintendent of the district. The district will seek to incorporate the solar-powered hybrids into its curriculum.
“We’re trying to make some links between the curriculum that the students learn about in school and the real world,” he said. “When the connection is as immediate as the very bus that takes you to and from school, that’s a powerful connection.”
by jboullion | Aug 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Town of Oconomowoc — Sandy Syburg has driven school buses for years – but none like these.
When they start rolling on their routes next week, these hybrid electric school buses won’t lurch forward the way conventional school buses do.
A diesel engine is least efficient when it’s trying to get a 27,000-pound vehicle moving from a full stop, Syburg said. Thanks to the hybrid technology, the electric motor kicks in first, with lithium-ion batteries powering the bus forward from a stop.
“It’s very smooth. It’s like a gust of wind when you’re sailing,” said Syburg, chief executive of Oconomowoc Transport Co.
In the bus terminal, Syburg can plug an electrical cord into the side of the bus so that solar panels can charge the batteries that run the vehicle’s electric motor.
To date, more than 100 hybrid school and commercial buses have rolled off of the IC Bus LLC assembly line since 2007. Eleven of them are plug-in hybrid electric school buses in Oconomowoc, ready to start the school year next week.
The investment, aided by a state grant through the federal stimulus package, aims to reduce diesel fuel use by 7,500 gallons a year. That would provide savings of $26,000 in fuel costs for the Oconomowoc Area School District at today’s diesel prices.
When they’re done with their morning school run, the buses will return to the bus company on Brown St. and their batteries will be recharged with the help of 224 solar panels that were erected by Renewable Energy Solutions of Waukesha.
It’s the first solar-electric charging station in the state, and it’s ready to power the biggest fleet of plug-in hybrid school buses in the country.
The buses are projected to result in saving because of a 50% gain in fuel economy. A typical bus gets 7 miles per gallon, but the hybrid technology will boost that to 12.
“It’s a little glimpse of the future; it’s very impressive,” said Mike Barry, assistant superintendent of the district. The district will seek to incorporate the solar-powered hybrids into its curriculum.
“We’re trying to make some links between the curriculum that the students learn about in school and the real world,” he said. “When the connection is as immediate as the very bus that takes you to and from school, that’s a powerful connection.”
by jboullion | Aug 24, 2010 | Uncategorized
From Madison Gas & Electric:
A few changes in your driving habits could save you money and gasoline. Hypermilers say it’s easy… and anyone can do it.You don’t have to drive an electric car or hybrid to drive more sustainably. In this story, we hit the road with an expert hypermiler to learn what it takes to go the extra
mile.
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by jboullion | Aug 17, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Randy Hanson in the by Hudson Star-Observer:
The electric car is about to become a much more commonplace sight on the streets of American cities, a former Ford Europe engineer told an audience in Hudson last Thursday evening.
Jukka Kukkonen, a native of Finland and president of the Minnesota Electric Auto Association, spoke to 55 people who attended a presentation on electric vehicles at The Phipps Center for the Arts. The meeting was sponsored by The Purple Tree, a downtown Hudson retail shop that specializes in fair trade products and ones made from recycled or organic materials.
“This is the cool part, because there is so much new stuff coming out each day,” Kukkonen said before introducing a dozen or more electric vehicles currently available or about to be produced.
They included the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf, Mini E by BMW and Ford Focus Electric.
“Everybody’s on board. Now it’s just for us to think about which one we want,” said Kukkonen, who moved to St. Paul eight years ago after marrying an American he met while working for Ford Europe.
“The train is moving. The question is who is going to jump on board and who is going to stay at the station,” he later said of automobile companies. “Definitely, there is a new market and a new industry. The question is who is going to be a part of it.”
by jboullion | Jul 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Sharif Durhams in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Milwaukee County’s bus system unveiled on Wednesday the first of 90 new buses purchased to replace those in its aging fleet.
The clean diesel buses cost a total of nearly $33 million. About half of that money came from the federal stimulus package.
Milwaukee County plans to buy 35 more buses in 2011, according to MCTS.
