Union City company wants state to OK bus into hybrid project

http://www.pr-inside.com/ability-to-meet-instantaneous-power-requirements-r402514.htm

Hybrid-electric school bus to soon roll on Indiana roads By Tiffany Griffin
Story Created: Jan 25, 2008 at 8:15 AM EST
Story Updated: Jan 25, 2008 at 4:42 PM EST
UNION CITY, Ind. (AP) — A hybrid-electric school bus will soon roll on Randolph County's roads as part of a program for schools to be more environmentally friendly.
A Department of Education committee on Friday approved safety standards that allows hybrid diesel school buses on Indiana roads. A prototype of the bus was developed by Productive Concepts Inc., a manufacturer in eastern Indiana's Randolph County that retrofitted an existing vehicle into what officials believe is the state's first hybrid school bus.
"If this thing works, it's going to have a tremendous impact on school transportation," said Ron Chew, a South Henry school bus driver and president of the Indiana Association of School Bus Drivers. "They've got something that will be on the path to mass production."
Chew is one of seven members of the Department of Education's school bus committee who voted on the new safety standards.
New hybrid buses can cost $250,000-$350,000, while retrofitting an existing bus with a hybrid system will cost $40,000-$50,000, according to Cathy Stephen, superintendent of Randolph Eastern Schools.
PCI's prototype passed an initial Indiana State Police inspection last week, company president Rob Lykins said.
The bus is part of the education department's Learn Green, Live Green program designed to help educators, students, parents and community members discover practical ways to be more responsible about the environment.
On the bus, a hybrid electric system is connected to the drive shaft. The system, purchased from Variable Torque Motors of Fort Wayne, includes an electric motor, a controller and an ultracapacitor, a unit that stores and transfers energy. The ultracapacitor works much like a car battery.
In this configuration, there is no battery, and no need to plug the bus into a power source.
The system is designed for start and stop driving, and Lykins said as long as the bus runs around or below 35 mph, the electric motor is powering it.
Lykins estimates that the hybrid system will result in 25 percent to 35 percent reductions in fuel usage and emissions.
Additionally, the electric system should cut brake maintenance and replacement costs in half. That savings comes from regenerative braking. When the driver steps off the brake or off the gas, the kinetic energy from that move is stored and redirected to the ultracapacitor.
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Information from: The Star Press, http://www.thestarpress.com

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