TORRANCE, Calif. — Enova Systems has entered a long-term agreement to supply its post-transmission, parallel hybrid-electric drive system for IC Bus’ hybrid school buses.

IC has forecast substantial market penetration of its hybrid buses in the U.S., Canada and Mexico (the countries included in the terms of the agreement). IC is also working with Enova to evaluate the hybrid bus market in India.

As such, the two-year agreement could earn Enova over $120 million.

Enova’s hybrid technologies were evaluated at IC parent company Navistar International Corp.’s research and technology facility in Fort Wayne, Ind., and have reportedly shown fuel economy improvements in excess of 70 percent and emissions reductions between 20 and 40 percent.

The hybrid school bus project features Enova’s charge-depleting or charge-sustaining systems. The charge-depleting (or “plug-in”) system utilizes a battery that provides stored energy intended to be drawn down over a driving cycle and recharged overnight to optimize fuel efficiency.

The charge-sustaining system utilizes smaller batteries that are maintained within a specified state-of-charge range over an entire drive cycle. The battery charge is sustained by equipment on the bus and is not normally recharged from a grid except as needed for cell balancing.