Two More Hybrid School Buses Join Fleet to Help Reduce Pollution

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Two More Hybrid School Buses Join Fleet to Help Reduce Pollution
March 2, 2010
Raymond Rivera
ABC News 4

Charleston, SC - Two more hybrid diesel/electric school buses are going on the road in the state’s continuing effort to help cut pollution from older diesel vehicles.

According to the South Carolina Department of Education, the newest low-emission hybrids are being assigned to routes in the Aiken and Charleston County school districts. Similar vehicles are expected to be delivered to two upstate districts within a month.

The total of four hybrids will be the only new buses added to the state-owned fleet this year after the recession waylaid South Carolina’s 15-year school-bus-replacement cycle. Because of budget cuts, the cycle has been fully funded just one time – in 2007, the year it was passed.

“We’d love to have additional replacements for the older, more polluting buses still in use, but these hybrids are a welcome improvement for the environment and for the health and safety of our students," State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said. “Exhaust, soot and greenhouse gases will be reduced, and we’ll see significant fuel savings because of the hybrids’ better mileage.”

The state’s 5,700 school buses travel more than 79 million miles a year and consume 12-and-a-half million gallons of fuel. The fleet has moved to five percent biodiesel and plans to transition to 20 percent biodiesel fuel in the future. Nearly 80 percent of the buses have been in service 10 years or more.

South Carolina was the seventh state in the nation to use hybrid technology in its fleet, getting two plug-in diesel-electric buses in 2007. The latest vehicles are Thomas Built hybrids that have a small diesel engine backed up by an electric motor.

According to the manufacturer, the bus operates with hybrid assist at lower speeds, with the diesel kicking-in when needed. When the driver eases off the accelerator, the hybrid’s electric cell generates its own electricity, so energy is not lost out the tailpipe, but instead harnessed to charge the battery.

Although it looks just like a regular school bus, the Thomas Built runs a lot quieter. It’s designed to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy by 30 percent or more. The savings don’t stop with less diesel fuel usage – there is also a maintenance savings with the hybrid because its electric motor means less wear-and-tear on the brakes and drive train.

"By providing groundbreaking technologies and high-quality products, we are able to deliver on our mission to minimize the environmental impact of our transportation solutions," said Kelley Platt, president and CEO of North-Carolina based Thomas Built Buses. "With products like this, Thomas is making it possible for school districts to be more environmentally responsible as hybrids are incorporated into fleets."

The hybrid assigned to Charleston County schools will serve Chicora Elementary, Morningside Middle School and North Charleston High. The Aiken County School District’s new hybrid will transport students to and from Aiken Elementary, Schofield Middle School and Aiken High.