New Flyer Lands Order for 465 More Buses; 18% Hybrids, 11% CNG

New Flyer Industries has closed orders for 465 buses in North America, of which 381 are firm orders and 84 are options, representing a total of approximately US $181.8 million in revenue. Of those, 84 are diesel-electric hybrids (18%) and 51 are CNG-fueled (11%).

For its diesel hybrids, New Flyer uses the GM-Allison two-mode compound split parallel hybrid system combined with a Cummins or Caterpillar diesel engine. In its gasoline hybrid, New Flyer uses ISE’s ThunderVolt gasoline-electric series hybrid system, which consists of an ultra-low emission Ford V-10 gasoline engine, Siemens ELFA electric motors and generators and a Thunderpack II ultracapacitor-based energy storage system. The CNG buses use Cummins C-Gas+ or Detroit Diesel engines.

Order that include hybrid or CNG-fueled vehicles include:

• Houston Metro in Houston, TX has ordered 40 40-foot diesel-electric buses.

• The board of directors for South Coast Area Transit (SCAT) in Oxnard, CA has approved the purchase of 26 40-foot CNG buses. The SCAT board recently decided to increase the number of units to 26 and to purchase CNG buses instead of the eight gasoline-electric buses reported in December.

• The board of directors for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, DC has approved 25 40-foot CNG buses. WMATA has also ordered hybrid buses.

• Long Beach Transit in Long Beach, CA has ordered 15 40-foot gasoline-electric buses.

• ABQ Ride in Albuquerque, NM has ordered six 60-foot diesel-electric buses and with options for an additional four 60-foot diesel-electric buses.

• Capital Area Transportation Authority of Lansing, MI has ordered four 40-foot diesel-electric and three 60-foot diesel-electric buses.

• Hamilton Public Works – Transit Division in Hamilton, ON has ordered 22 40-foot diesel buses, five 40-foot diesel-electric buses and seven 60-foot articulated diesel-electric buses.

New Flyer, in the first half of 2006, has booked contracts and options for up to 1,400 buses expected to generate future revenues in excess of US $521 million.

Comments

[lensovet]

good to see a socal transit agency (long beach) buying something OTHER than CNG.

[allen Z]

All vehicle fleets that engage in stop and go/city driving should be hybrids of some sort. From buses to garbage trucks to delivery/postal service, it just makes sense.

[Dezakin]

Could someone tell me why parallel hybrids are being pursued rather than serial hybrids? Serial hybrids seem to make more sense for urban transit.