IC Bus demonstrates gasoline powertrain
25 July 2016
IC Bus will demonstrate its Gasoline-Powered CE School Bus at the School Transportation News (STN) Expo Conference and Trade Show in Reno. This bus is designed to make ownership more affordable and to provide easier maintenance for school districts and contractors, and will utilize the purpose-built Power Solutions International’s (PSI) 8.8L V8 gasoline engine paired with commercial grade transmissions.
This CE gasoline-powered school bus utilizes much of the same proven technology and engine architecture as the propane-autogas powered bus, the engine for which is also provided by PSI. (Earlier post.)
The PSI 8.8-liter engine is rated at 565 lb-ft (766 N·m) at 1500 rpm; the high torque-low speed design greatly benefits stop-and-start applications to allow immediate acceleration after stops and greater hill climbing capability.
I would encourage people to google-search "I-71 bus crash" to understand why school buses today are diesel powered.
By no means was switching to diesel the only way to deal with that situation, but it is best not to forget the lessons of the past. The location of the fuel tank with relation to the main entrance/exit door requires consideration. Front-engine school buses to this day still have the fuel tank in the same place.
Posted by: Brian Petersen | 25 July 2016 at 08:52 AM
A new firm (50 KM North of Montreal, QC) is building safer, lower noise e-school buses with 75 KM range, at competitive prices. They have to be recharge at each end.
Posted by: HarveyD | 25 July 2016 at 11:53 AM