|
Hybrid Electric School Buses in Kentucky
Seeing Double
 (Louisville,
KY) With 125 school buses on the road, Kentucky has the
largest hybrid-electric school bus fleet in the nation. Not
only have the school buses achieved increased route fuel
efficiency with the new technology, some are achieving MPGs
in the double-digits.
Pike County Schools, for instance, has achieved an average
of 12.63 miles per gallon with their 37 buses. This eastern
Kentucky school system has the largest fleet in the state
and is doubling their fuel efficiency through driver
education and ideal route placement of the buses.
“With lean times we are all going through right now, having
extra money in our budget that we saved with these hybrid
buses is something we didn’t dream would happen,” said Ancie
Casey, director of transportation for Pike County Schools.
According to the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition (KCFC), one
of the leading organizations responsible for coordinating
the hybrid-school bus program, all the school buses are
fitted with Electronic Control Modules that record and store
all bus performance data, including the hybrid system data.
KCFC receives that information from each school monthly and
compiles the performance data, which can be viewed on their
web site.
Through August nearly 380,000 miles have been logged by the
buses with an average hybrid fuel efficiency of 9.65 miles
per gallon, three miles per gallon higher than the baseline
fuel efficiency.
“Kentucky's broad topographic range offers excellent
opportunities for real world data from the buses,” said
Melissa Howell, KCFC executive director. “We hope that
school systems across the country will take a look at what
we are doing and use the data to help them decide if hybrid
technology will provide them energy savings.”
The KCFC applied for a grant from the U.S. Department of
Energy in 2010 that would offset the cost of the hybrid
system for buses. In December of last year, $12.8 million
was awarded for the purchase of 215 hybrid electric school
buses.
The Kentucky Department of Education administers the funds
which can be applied for by any Kentucky public school
district. To date, 31 have taken advantage of the program.
The buses are manufactured by ThomasBuilt and International
and are equipped with an Eaton hybrid system.
“With the data collected, we now know that the equipment is
capable of achieving 12 miles per gallon, double what they
were seeing with traditional diesel powered busses,” said
Howell. “We have proven that in the first year!”
 For more information on the Hybrid Horsepower for Kentucky
Schools program, visit
www.kentuckycleanfuels.org.
KCFC Welcomes
Frankfort Transit as its Newest Member
Frankfort Transit offers public bus and trolley
transportation in our state's Capitol.
Be sure to check them out at
http://transit.frankfort.ky.gov/.
Registration is Required to Attend Electric Vehicle Workshop
Don't Delay!
Electric Vehicles: is Kentucky Ready to Run?
Friday, October 21, 2011
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET
Aristides Room - Churchill Downs
Louisville, KY
View
the Agenda and Register Today!
 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook
The
Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Consumers is now
available to help drivers make informed decisions about
purchasing these advanced technology vehicles. The
comprehensive, 16-page guide answers basic questions about
PEVs, including how they operate and are charged, the
benefits of owning them, how to maintain them, which type
fits your needs, and much more. Available on the
Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center and
Clean Cities websites, this booklet the first of a
series of handbooks Clean Cities is developing to educate
consumers, fleet managers, public station owners, and
electrical contractors about the benefits of plug-in
electric vehicles as a personal, fleet, or business
solution.
Electric Vehicle Community Readiness Project Awards
 On
September 8, 2011, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced
awards for 16 electric vehicle projects totaling $8.5
million. These projects in 24 states and the District of
Columbia help communities prepare for plug-in electric
vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure. Through Clean
Cities' Community Readiness and Planning for Plug-In
Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure awards, local
public-private partnerships will collaborate to develop
strategies to deploy electric vehicles.
Preparing communities to adopt EV
technologies will reduce U.S. petroleum dependence and build
the foundation for a clean transportation system.
View the Project Awardees
See our news blogs at
http://kycleanfuels.blogspot.com
|
