School Bus Fleet
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Alternative Fuels

Ad Loading...
Newsby StaffOctober 16, 2012

District officials ride Blue Bird propane-powered bus

During the event hosted by ROUSH CleanTech and organized by Blue Bird dealer Cardinal Bus Sales, 30 Ohio school district representatives go on a 300-mile roundtrip ride between Lima, Ohio, and Livonia, Mich., in the propane-powered Vision. They learn about ROUSH’s liquid propane fuel system and product platforms, and tour the company’s emissions testing dynamometer lab and the manufacturing facility.

Read More →
Newsby Thomas McMahonOctober 11, 2012

EPA awards $30M for clean diesel projects

School buses are among the vehicles being replaced or retrofitted in the latest round of funding for the Diesel Emission Reduction Program, also known as DERA. Sioux Falls (S.D.) School District, for example, is being awarded $450,000 for replacing 18 school buses.

Read More →
Newsby Thomas McMahonOctober 9, 2012

W.Va. adds propane as option for school buses

State director Ben Shew tells SBF that propane’s price and its availability in West Virginia are key factors in school districts’ interest in the alternative fuel. He says that switching to propane could save more than $3,100 in fuel costs annually per bus.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Newsby Thomas McMahonOctober 4, 2012

New natural gas engine for school buses in the works

Cummins Westport has begun development on the ISB6.7 G, a mid-range 6.7-liter natural gas engine. The new engine, expected to be in production by 2015, will be based on the Cummins ISB6.7 diesel engine and will use Cummins Westport's spark-ignited, stoichiometric cooled exhaust gas recirculation technology.

Read More →
Newsby StaffOctober 4, 2012

Supercapacitors touted as 'green' energy source

In an article by Philip Ball for the Energy Quarterly feature of MRS Bulletin, a professor and researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia explains supercapacitors as power-storage devices that can supply onboard electrical power in vehicles. Officials say that on buses, the technology can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 30%.

Read More →
Newsby Thomas McMahonOctober 3, 2012

Pupil transporters among 40 Sustainability All-Stars

Officials from Houston Independent School District, Mesa (Ariz.) Public Schools, and Wisconsin contractor Riteway receive the award at the Green Fleet Conference. Their efforts include implementing alternative fuels, increasing route efficiency and decreasing office energy consumption.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Articlesby Thomas McMahonSeptember 27, 2012

Thomas Built CEO sees permanent shifts in school bus market

Kelley Platt, the company's president and CEO, says that transportation changes many districts are making — from running buses longer to increasing walking distances — have reduced the need for new buses and aren’t likely to be reversed. In turn, the OEM is focused on becoming more cost-effective in its manufacturing while maintaining quality. Platt discusses the market shifts, cost of ownership and product developments with SBF.

Read More →
NewsSeptember 18, 2012

District’s hybrid buses parked over green rub rails

The California Highway Patrol maintains that the green rails on Napa Valley Unified School District’s buses are not in compliance with state and national standards. Director of Transportation Ralph Knight discusses with SBF the benefits he says he believes the green rails provide, and the steps he’s taking to try to revise California’s regulations on school bus colors after an exemption request to allow the green rails was denied by the highway patrol.

Read More →
Newsby StaffSeptember 17, 2012

CleanFUEL USA moves to new Mich. facility

Officials say that at 10,000 square feet, the new facility is double that of the previous facility, and that its configuration allows for better use of production space, including a dedicated clean room for sensitive component assembly and an expanded prototype shop for developing new designs and systems.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Newsby StaffSeptember 13, 2012

Coalition honored for providing hybrid buses to Ky.

A Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition team, which includes Eaton Corp. and the Kentucky Department of Education, receives the first Visionary Leadership Award from the Southeast Diesel Collaborative Group. Eaton assembles the hybrid system for the buses, and the coalition provides the buses through a U.S. Department of Energy grant.

Read More →