Lansing Becomes 39 th Community to Opt for GM's Two-mode Hybrid Technology.
GM News - August 7, 2006
GM Hybrid buses making an impact.
LANSING, Mich. - The Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) today celebrated the addition of three buses powered by General Motors’ diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system to its mass transit fleet. The three vehicles are the first hybrid buses to enter service in the state of Michigan.
The city of Lansing is the 39 th community to invest in transit buses powered by General Motors’ hybrid technology, which offers greater fuel economy and significantly reduced emissions compared with conventional diesel buses.
CATA CEO and executive director Sandy Draggoo welcomed U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, who were instrumental in securing the funding for the buses, along with key local and state leaders and representatives from bus manufacturer New Flyer and GM; as they announced the delivery at a press conference today in Hawk Island Park.
“It is our mission to provide safe, reliable transportation,” stated CATA CEO/executive director, Sandy Draggoo, “and we want to help keep the air clean while we’re making that happen. We are thrilled to introduce these newest additions to our fleet. Their benefits are important given the need to maintain the air quality of the greater Lansing area. We are investing in our community with this new generation of transit vehicles.”
Buses powered by GM’s advanced hybrid propulsion technology deliver significantly better fuel economy than traditional buses and produce up to 60 percent fewer oxides of nitrogen emissions and 90 percent fewer particulate, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions. Other benefits of the buses include reduced maintenance costs resulting from extended brake, engine oil and transmission oil life; providing 50 percent faster acceleration compared with conventional diesel buses, and operational sound levels approaching that of passenger cars.
“GM is committed to applying hybrid technology to the highest fuel consuming vehicles on the road, including mass transit buses,” said Beth Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy. “We commend CATA for its decision to choose GM’s hybrid technology and for its commitment to improving fuel economy and reducing emissions - efforts that will help to protect the environment today, and preserve it for generations to come.”
Since 2004, more than 475 GM hybrid-powered buses have been delivered to 38 communities in the U.S. and Canada. The estimated annual combined fuel savings for the 478 GM hybrid-powered buses is 700,000 gallons.
“The General Motors hybrid diesel-electric drive system for buses uses the most efficient parallel hybrid architecture available in the world today,” said Tom Stephens, group vice president of GM Powertrain. “If the U.S. had only 1,000 GM hybrid powered buses operating in major cities, the cumulative savings would be more than 1.5 million gallons of fuel annually.”
By the end of the year, another 127 GM hybrid-powered buses are expected to be delivered to transit authorities across North America.
The clean hybrid technology is manufactured by GM’s Allison Transmission, maker of transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems for commercial trucks, buses, off-highway equipment and military vehicles, headquartered in Indianapolis. New Flyer Industries manufactures the buses. New Flyer is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with two facilities in the U.S. and is the largest manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in North America.
The two-mode hybrid technology in these buses has served as the starting point for GM’s co-development with DaimlerChrysler and BMW Group of a two-mode hybrid system for light-duty vehicles that GM will launch next year in the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon fullsize SUVs, followed by the Cadillac Escalade in 2008.
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