India’s capital Delhi, famous for congestion pollution, and the town of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, US, are going green together with the recent introduction of hybrid buses.
Delhi’s introduction of four new CNG-Electric Hybrid Buses will coincide perfectly with the Commonwealth Games and are expected to run in the city during the games period.
On the introduction of the new fleet, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit expressed confidence the new buses would have a positive effect on pollution in the nation’s capital: “the launching of hybrid buses should be seen as a defining moment in the history of Delhi”.
The Hybrid Tata Starbus, built for intra-city transportation, is powered by a parallel hybrid engine comprised of an internal combustion CNG engine and an electric motor using a regenerative energy storage system. Offering substantial improvement in fuel economy compared to a conventional bus, this technology leads to lower emissions, thereby contributing to cleaner air and a more environment-friendly commercial passenger transportation application.
The buses, both distinct designs, are expected to cut emissions and save significant amounts of fuel.
Acceleration
Back in the States, Oshkosh is now the proud owner of the transit system’s four new hybrid buses, which came into service yesterday. They use electric motors for early acceleration in advance of the diesel engine kicking in as speeds increase.
“This is a big day for Oshkosh Transit. We’re pretty excited we got to put them into service today,” Oshkosh transportation director Chris Strong commented on the buses that are expected to conserve about 86,000 gallons of diesel over the next 12 years.
“We can all breathe a little easier with hybrid buses,” he added.
