Right Lane Cruiser
12-09-2009, 07:17 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg On June 2, 2008, Banff became the first municipality in Canada to introduce an all-hybrid electric transit fleet. (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091208/autos_banff_buses_091209/20091209?s_name=Autos)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/DesignLine_hybrid_bus.jpgMichael Vaughan - CTV (http://www.ctv.ca) - December 9, 2009
More hybrids, less fuel, and fewer emissions. Can anyone reasonably argue with that? --Ed.
Who isn't sick and tired of diesel buses that belch black smoke in your face while deafening you with their noise? They're horrible to ride in and worse to stand beside. Finally, there are new technologies coming on the market which will make the urban bus a much more civilized vehicle.
The beautiful mountain-side town of Banff, Alta. showed the way with the first 100 per cent hybrid transit fleet in North America. Mind you, Banff's fleet consists of only four buses -- but they're diesel hybrids fueled as much as possible on crop-based bio-diesel fuel.
New York City, on the other hand, has nearly 6,000 buses which carry about 2 million passengers every day, but now they're following Banff's lead. Banff bought DesignLine hybrid buses which double the fuel efficiency of the typical diesel bus of the black smoke variety. Now New York has also purchased DesignLine vehicles -- three of the latest models.
New York has been trying to clean up the fleet and they already have a good number of diesel-hybrid and compressed natural gas buses. The new ones from DesignLine, however, have an experimental turbine hybrid. That's even newer than Banff's fleet.
The turbine engine does away with clattering pistons, whether gasoline or diesel fueled, and instead spins quietly. You're familiar with turbine engines on airplanes and when they spin at low speeds they're almost inaudible. The turbine in... http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091208/autos_banff_buses_091209/20091209?s_name=Autos
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/DesignLine_hybrid_bus.jpgMichael Vaughan - CTV (http://www.ctv.ca) - December 9, 2009
More hybrids, less fuel, and fewer emissions. Can anyone reasonably argue with that? --Ed.
Who isn't sick and tired of diesel buses that belch black smoke in your face while deafening you with their noise? They're horrible to ride in and worse to stand beside. Finally, there are new technologies coming on the market which will make the urban bus a much more civilized vehicle.
The beautiful mountain-side town of Banff, Alta. showed the way with the first 100 per cent hybrid transit fleet in North America. Mind you, Banff's fleet consists of only four buses -- but they're diesel hybrids fueled as much as possible on crop-based bio-diesel fuel.
New York City, on the other hand, has nearly 6,000 buses which carry about 2 million passengers every day, but now they're following Banff's lead. Banff bought DesignLine hybrid buses which double the fuel efficiency of the typical diesel bus of the black smoke variety. Now New York has also purchased DesignLine vehicles -- three of the latest models.
New York has been trying to clean up the fleet and they already have a good number of diesel-hybrid and compressed natural gas buses. The new ones from DesignLine, however, have an experimental turbine hybrid. That's even newer than Banff's fleet.
The turbine engine does away with clattering pistons, whether gasoline or diesel fueled, and instead spins quietly. You're familiar with turbine engines on airplanes and when they spin at low speeds they're almost inaudible. The turbine in... http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091208/autos_banff_buses_091209/20091209?s_name=Autos