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The dominance of diesel fuel has not waned in the school bus industry. Nearly 93 percent of all school buses purchased in the United States and Canada still operate on diesel fuel, despite a higher-than-ever focus on alternative fuel. New lower-emissions diesel engines gearing up for launch in just a few months are expected to further cement diesel’s position as the industry's fuel of choice.
"We are hearing a lot about alternative fuel in the industry right now," said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. "However, instead of focusing on the alternative fuel trends, school districts should be talking about which school bus operates efficiently, is better for the environment and saves money on fuel costs. It's always great to have options, but when it comes to fuel choice, diesel remains the best fuel option for fleets today."
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Looking back 10, 15, even 20 years ago, it would be unheard-of to call diesel a clean fuel, let alone claim that diesel is just as clean – if not cleaner – at the tailpipe than any other alternative fuel. From a certification standpoint, clean-diesel emissions are ninety percent cleaner at the tailpipe than they were 10 years ago, and today can stand up and even surpass the emission standards of all other alternative fuels. This in part is due to an overall cleaner fuel type and to new advances in engine technology, as well.
Driven by tougher EPA emissions standards, today's diesel is composed of an ultra-low sulfur formula, which became standard in the United States in 2010. This new diesel formula is estimated to remove 2.6 million tons of nitrogen oxide from the air per year and reduce soot and particulate matter by 110,000 tons per year. Breaking this down to a per-bus standard, diesel today now emits no more than .2 grams per brake horsepower per hour of nitrogen oxides and .01 grams per brake horsepower per hour of particulate matter, which is a dramatic decrease from years past. (Figure 1.1)
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From an engine standpoint, the long-awaited Detroit™ DD5™ is set to launch in 2018. This new engine will be revolutionizing the industry with state-of-the-art technology that not only greatly minimizes emissions, but also reduces the headache of aftertreatment maintenance and regen issues that have haunted technicians for years.
"What this means for districts is that they no longer have to seek alternative fuel sources in order to run a more efficient and cleaner fleet," continues Edgerly. "Today's clean-diesel engines, like the Cummins ISB 6.7L and the anticipated Detroit™ DD5™, provide lower emissions and best-in-class fuel efficiency, power, proven performance and reliability, as well as the lowest total cost of ownership. Districts can now feel confident with diesel as their fuel of choice without having to invest in the time and resources needed to switch to a new fuel type."
With new engine specs and a cleaner fuel, the remarkable cleanliness of diesel is in the numbers. As you can see in the table below, which is based on the most recent EPA engine certifications, diesel engines are certified well below EPA emission ratings and perform on par with, if not better than, other alternative fuels. (Figure 2.1)
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"When it comes to green fuel, the future is here," concludes Edgerly. "And with new technology paving the way, districts no longer have to give up on the fuel that they prefer to provider cleaner air for their passengers and for the environment. Diesel has definitely become not only a contender in the field of alternative fuel, but today it is leading the pack and remains the fuel of choice."
Lafayette Parish Schools uses its share of the state’s Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust dollars to buy 10 Blue Bird Vision Propane buses. Louisiana is the first state to disburse its VW funds.
Customers in California and Ontario will operate a total of seven Blue Bird Type D electric buses and one Micro Bird Type A electric model.
In this guest editorial, Allen Schaeffer from the Diesel Technology Forum says that for the same fixed investment, many more older and higher-emitting school buses can be replaced with new-technology diesel than with an all-electric choice.
Nicholas Voisard brings nearly a decade of management experience in the industry to the electric school bus manufacturer.
Township High School District 211’s new Blue Bird Vision Propane buses are expected to save about $15,000 per year in fuel costs and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by almost 14,000 pounds.
Superior Propane installs 15 refueling dispensers from Superior Energy Systems in five provinces, with plans to add more in 2019.
The state plans to use two-thirds of its Volkswagen settlement money to buy around 300 new school buses in low-income communities.
Workshops will cover such topics as school choice, employee retention, and school shootings. A live-action event will demonstrate school bus fires and evacuations.
A new storage cabinet from JohnDow Industries is designed to hold up to 12 different assortments of the most popular smaller service parts.
The engine, developed in partnership with Roush CleanTech, is certified at 0.02 g/bhp-hr of nitrogen oxide.
Nine California districts and a New York school bus company will receive a total of 20 electric school buses this fall.
Malinda Sandhu brings more than 10 years of industry experience to the electric school bus manufacturer.
Pruitt has been the subject of multiple ethics investigations. President Trump accepts his resignation while continuing to defend his work at the EPA.
The major engine manufacturer will purchase Efficient Drivetrains Inc., which is supplying powertrains for forthcoming electric school bus models.
The state earmarks $130 million for electric buses. The mitigation funding is expected to become available starting in early 2019.
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