STATE
SLOWLY BUT SURELY ALT-FUEL SCHOOL BUSES CONTINUE TO GAIN INDUSTRY INTEREST, AND VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS ARE READY AND WAITING TO FILL DEMAND
WRITTEN BY JULIE METEA M
ost of the North American school buses run on diesel, but the growth of alternative fuels is gaining ground in the industry. Tough alt-fuels power only slightly more than 1 percent of all school buses nationwide, vehicle
and energy research continues to push innovation in four primary areas: propane, CNG, hybrid and plug-in electric. While most of the technologies start in passenger cars and trucks and other commercial vehicle sectors, school bus manufacturers have been making their individual bets over the past two decades through different innovation and production ventures with governments and automotive suppliers. A variety of alternative fuel school bus offerings will be displayed
throughout the STN EXPO trade show in Reno, Nev., this month. Tis preview provides a look at where the alternative fuel vehicle development stands at this point in time.
PROPANE Propane powered its first engine back in 1913, but it took nearly a
century for manufacturers to proclaim development leadership and commercial success. Worldwide, there are approximately 17 million propane-powered
vehicles, mostly commercial, including about 250,000 in the U.S, ac- cording to ROUSH CleanTech, which develops the propane-autogas fuel system for Blue Bird. School buses make up a small portion of that population, but enough to shape niche industry energy trends. Comparing the number of fully integrated alternative-fuel school
bus purchases, propane has become the industry’s most popular choice, for the moment, anyway. Te fuel’s acceleration into the school bus industry has occurred only within the past decade. “Tis isn’t your daddy’s old propane technology,” said John Doswell, sales and marketing vice president for Collins Bus Corporation. “Tose aftermarket conversions 15 years ago lacked some perfor- mance. Today’s propane bus has a liquid injection system. It’s cleaner, and it has higher (fuel) mileage.” With some risk, government and business formed partnerships to fund and manufacture propane school buses, mostly for greater domestic fuel production policies and environmental protection standards. Propane ended up providing other benefits for customers, such as significant savings on fuel costs and an easy-to-install fueling infrastructure, which could safely fit on operator properties. “Hybrid was the savvy word back then. We stuck with propane, due
to customers needs,” said John Roselli, director of alternative fuels for Blue Bird. “Propane infrastructure is good for our customers, with little
46 School Transportation News July 2013
Mesa Public Schools near Phoenix recently announced its intent to eventually operate an entirely propane- powered fleet as it replaces older diesel buses.
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