London Testing Six Diesel Series-Hybrid Buses
04 February 2006
 |
| An Electrocity hybrid. |
Transport for London, the agency responsible for the city’s transport systems, has introduced six Wrightbus Electrocity series diesel-hybrid buses on an experimental basis to run alongside the Dennis Dart vehicles normally allocated to the route.
The single-deck Electrocity hybrids use an Enova 120kW series-hybrid drive coupled to Enova’s 60kW genset driven by a 1.9-liter Euro-4 common-rail diesel engine (earlier post). The Enova genset is designed to allow integrators to choose the engine best suited to their needs.
The buses have a range of 180–200 miles, with an average speed of 12–15 mph and a top speed of 40–45 mph.
The buses will run on the 360 route linking Elephant Castle and the Royal Albert Hall. An earlier test of a Wrightbus hybrid prototype in 2003 ran on a North London route.
Wrightbus estimates that the Electrocity vehicles will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 30% below Euro-3 conventional bus levels, and provide a significant reduction in other emissions, including NOX.
In earlier testing of an Electrocity bus at the Millbrook proving grounds in the UK, the hybrid emitted 740 g/km of CO2, compared to 1,050 g/km from a Euro-3 diesel that was, however, much lighter.
| Electrocity Emissions Tests, London Bus Cycle (g/km) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle | HC | CO | NOx | CO2 | PM |
| Source: Millbrook Emissions Tests. Actual operational comparisons with convention bus will relate to Electrocity weight. | |||||
| Euro-3 Diesel, 8.76 tonnes | 0.53 | 1.3 | 18.6 | 1,050 | n/a |
| Euro-3 Diesel, 14 tonnes | 0.5 | 6 | 13.4 | 1,300 | n/a |
| Electrocity, 12.5 tonnes | 0 | 0.24 | 2.0 | 740 | 0.039 |
(A hat-tip to Rhett Drew!)
Resources:
Technology Information Programme Day (including presentation on Electrocity)
WOW 1.9 litre diesel to power a city bus. Sounds like a VW TDI. Top speed must be 30 or 40 mph. Perfect!
Posted by: Justin | 05 February 2006 at 09:56 AM
Besides, the average speed (12-15 mph) definitely fits the road in Manhattan.
Posted by: Alfred | 05 February 2006 at 10:14 AM
1.9L diesel engine on a bus? Its gotta be work'n full time!
Max speed is only 45mph and with no hills(?) I guess the design has been fine tuned for the route.
Looks like the socialists in Europe are doing a better job of reducing fossil fuel consumption and saving the planet then we capitalists.
Posted by: tonychilling | 05 February 2006 at 10:22 AM
Good one Tony!
By virtue of designing a bus socialism has claimed triumph!
I don't think Gumby could come up with a better stretch.
JRod.
Posted by: JRod | 05 February 2006 at 01:47 PM
leftish socialists from germany work for the doom;
its their last possibility to come back;
from them you always hear the same shit:
consumption is so bad,
american way of life is devil,
society like this has no future,
bush is a murder ...
in their anti-americanism, they even sympathise with islamists;
just ignore them
Posted by: hanspeter | 06 February 2006 at 02:34 AM
Havn't the Enova and Azure hybrid systems been proven in other cities? They should have ordered 600 or 6000 instead of just 6 as a stimulation for mass production economies of scale.
Posted by: tom deplume | 06 February 2006 at 07:20 AM
Hmmm.. I've been to Germany for a while and even though they are not happy with us, they never talk the way you suggest.
Posted by: Tad | 06 February 2006 at 07:58 AM
Precisely which government is socialist? It certainly isn't the UK one!!
Posted by: Ruaraidh | 10 February 2006 at 03:49 AM