Broward County Public Schools’ move is being called the nation’s largest single order of propane autogas school buses by a school district. Broward officials say that they expect a six-month return on investment for the additional purchase price of the alternative-fuel buses due to fuel cost and maintenance savings.
Read More →Lightning Hybrids has released a new version of its hydraulic hybrid system for certain types of school and commercial buses. Hydraulic pumps/motors and an accumulator (power storage unit) are added to existing engines to store braking energy and use it to accelerate the vehicle.
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Escondido Union High School District is testing the ElecTruck Drive System from TransPower for one month. The system has been retrofitted on a Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX unit, and Director of Transportation Robert Berkstresser says data being tracked during the pilot period include the battery stability, motor efficiency and the reserve percentage of energy after a route.
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The SSTe is the first of four electric buses in service at Kings Canyon Unified School District, and officials say the bus is expected to save over $10,000 a year in fuel and maintenance costs.
Read More →Parkway School District in Chesterfield is taking delivery of 30 Saf-T-Liner HDX compressed natural gas Thomas Built buses, with nine in service since the beginning of February. The district is also building a CNG fueling station on-site.
Read More →The company’s Gilbarco Encore S liquefied petroleum gas retail fuel dispenser gains the distinction as an Underwriters Laboratories listing, which CleanFUEL officials say “signifies our commitment to exceeding customer expectations in alternative-fuel dispensing.”
Read More →The "Straight Talk" videos from the Propane Education & Research Council feature stories from five managers who use propane autogas in significant portions of their fleets. First up is Mesa (Ariz.) Public Schools.
Read More →The SSTe is now legal to operate in the state after passing the California Highway Patrol’s certification, and the first bus is scheduled to go to Kings Canyon Unified School District in Reedley, Calif. Officials for Trans Tech Bus say the SSTe is scheduled to start full production later this year.
Read More →Officials from school districts and bus companies on the East Coast and in the Midwest report easy starting, quick warm-up and quiet operation of the propane Vision school buses in their fleets during the recent cold snap. Blue Bird says propane autogas’ natural properties keep the fuel in a constant liquid form, free from freezing or gelling, and the liquid form provides better control of the air-to-fuel ratio, resulting in excellent start-up dependability.
Read More →House Bill 41 would allow the state Board of Education to award a grant to a school district or charter school to replace a school bus manufactured before 2002 with a bus that uses compressed natural gas, propane or clean diesel fuel. The grant could also be used to install an alternative-fuel fueling station and to retrofit an operation’s maintenance facility to service alternative-fuel school buses.
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