CALGARY – Calgary Transit is “going green”, testing five new hybrid shuttle buses until next spring to see how they perform.
Transit says it will monitor fuel efficiency and any technical issues with the hybrid vehicles to see if they can help save money while leaving less of an environmental footprint.
The units operate differently than consumer hybrid vehicles because the engines never turn off but get assistance from the hybrid technology.
“As the vehicle breaks, the vehicle takes the energy off the wheels breaking and converts that into electricity,” says Russell Davies, Calgary Transit. “That electricity is stored on ultra-capacitors on the underside of the vehicle.”
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The capacitors have a longer lifespan than traditional batteries.
For now, the buses will run on smaller routes where they will stop and start more often.
The biggest test will be to see if the buses can withstand the city’s cold winters.
The units are the latest addiction to the city’s green fleet. Currently, it has 145 hybrid vehicles, saving the city approximately 15 per cent on fuel.
The city also expects to begin testing electric vehicles in the next few months.
“Depending on availability, cost and what the outcome is. Obviously what we’re looking for on electric vehicles is how they’ll withstand our winters, right? That’s not a proven thing yet,” says Bernie Trahan, City of Calgary Fleet Services.
If the hybrid bus trial goes well, hybrids could be expanded to a traditional sized bus. The hybrid shuttles cost approximately 25 per cent more than diesel models.
Transit is also looking at compressed natural gas as an alternative way of fuelling some buses.
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