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| Urban Buses with Hybrid Diesel-Electric Drive | ||
| Introduction | ||
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Most
European cities are experiencing ever growing traffic conditions
leading to increasing problems of congestion and emission levels
with a consequent loss of quality of life. One of the most effective
ways of tackling this problem is to take an integrated approach
of introducing more environmentally friendly vehicles and simultaneously
encouraging a modal shift from private transport to public transport.
Hybrid-electric public transport can contribute on both fronts providing
an efficient and attractive alternative to the private car.
In simple terms, a hybrid-electric vehicle is an electric vehicle that also has an internal combustion engine and an electric generator on board to charge the batteries. Thus, hybrid-electric vehicles do not share an electric vehicle's main drawback of limited range and the need for a fixed infrastructure. A hybrid-electric vehicle can have the best of both worlds, it can function as a pure electric vehicle (for relatively short distances) while retaining the capability of a conventional vehicle to make long trips. The electric option allows zero-emission operation in sensitive areas. The hybrid configuration allows for optimisation of the internal combustion engine and the recovery of braking energy and idling energy, thereby reducing energy requirements and emissions. The hybrid-electric configuration should not be confused with the new generation of diesel-electric vehicles which are also being developed. A pure diesel-electric system does not have on-board storage capacity but it provides a flexible basis which may be the platform for future developments such as fuel cell systems. |
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| Partners | ||
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UITP
is the international association of public transport operators,
authorities and suppliers. It conducts research and enhances collaboration
between its members in the framework of its technical commissions
and specific projects. In addition, UITP facilitates the flow of
information in the industry at large through its publications and
documentation centre. ENTRAC is an engineering consultancy specialising in energy efficient and sustainable actions with particular emphasis on transport. ENTRAC is experienced in carrying out investigations and evaluations for national and local governments, large corporations and the European Commission to which it also gives technical support. VAG is the bus operator for the city of Nürnberg and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1998. The company is very environmentally committed and has one of the largest CNG bus fleets in Germany. It is currently running in-service trials with MAN diesel-electric buses which are covered in more detail in Case Study 4. |
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| Project Tasks | ||
| The main tasks or objectives of the project were to: | ||
| 1. establish the state-of-the-art of the technology | ||
| 2. identify the technical and financial constraints and opportunities | ||
| 3. document a number of key representative case studies | ||
| 4. publicise results and findings | ||
| Deliverables | ||
| The project was committed to publicising results and findings through media such as this THERMIE maxi-brochure. It is available free of charge from UITP in English and German. | ||
| Contacts | ||
| To order, please contact publications@uitp.com. | ||