News Fuel for the Road: IC Bus Unveils Gasoline Type C at EXPO WRITTEN BY SEAN GALLAGHER |
SEAN@STNONLINE.COM
Te saying is timeless, a proverb originally written in French that roughly translates to, “Te more things change, the more they stay the same.” Or, in other words, change does little to effect the status quo on any meaningful level other than to reinforce it. Tis is not necessarily a bad thing.
Take for instance the new gaso- line-powered CE school bus from IC Bus, which is being released just as the school bus industry is “ready to try something new or different,” said Trish Reed, vice president and general manager of IC Bus. It’s been decades since the school buses have run on gasoline, but, as Reed pointed out, “A lot of cus- tomers I interfaced with and met would tell me it would be great to put a gasoline engine in that C Series bus of yours.” Diesel has dominated the market, but IC Bus is forecasting this
trend will shift, especially as gasoline and propane become more conventional, literally, for Type C applications. Reed has noticed that there is a growing frustration with the complexity of diesel. She predicted that in the next four years, the market share of diesel school bus registrations will drop to 65 percent. It currently stands at roughly 93 percent, according to Reed.
For now, though the gasoline-pow-
STN EXPO attendees make their way to the new gasoline IC Bus CE Series during the Ride & Drive event in July.
ered bus seems to have only regional appeal, especially in areas with colder climates where the spark-ignited engine will start more efficiently, and where gas prices remain down. However, Reed has seen the begin- nings of broad demand as customers want to “make a conscious decision that’s different than diesel,” she said. Te OEM expects these new buses to attract more interest, especially from a maintenance perspective, as the engines are simpler than diesel engines to work on. Tis, most likely, Reed stated, should appeal to more
certified technicians and expand the hiring pool. Further, Reed reported that the gasoline-powered bus was
“purpose built” with the driver in mind so they experience no dif- ference in operations, which runs on the Power Solutions Interna- tional 8.8L V8 gasoline engine, similar to the propane engine. “We want consistency for the driver,” she said. IC Bus unveiled the new gasoline-powered CE school bus at the 2016 STN EXPO in Reno, Nevada. Reed revealed that more demos will be launched in early 2017 with an order date to be determined for some time next year. ●
Blue Bird Unveils New CNG, Latest Propane Blue Bird Corporation used the STN
EXPO Trade Show as a stage to show off one of its latest alternative-fuel school bus- es, and the most recent natural gas option on a conventional platform. Te new Vision CNG is the latest offer- ing in partnership with Ford and ROUSH CleanTech and builds off of Blue Bird’s 25 years of experience in producing the Type D transit-style, All-American CNG model. Te CNG Vision is powered by the Ford
6.8L V10 spark-ignited engine and a six- speed Ford 6R10 transmission that includes a new torque convert with low-speed lockup capability down to 900 rpm. ROUSH CleanTech provides the Front-End Accesso- ry Drive, or FEAD, that includes belts for the alternator and power steering pump as well as the optional air compressor and Dual TM-21 air conditioner.
Blue Bird said the new bus weighs 275 pounds lighter than comparable Type C CNG school buses and promises 0.1g of NOx emissions. Te Vision CNG bus, which will offer an expected range of at least 250 miles, also adds increased driver visibility over the sloped front hood and a quieter ride. Blue Bird added that the Vision CNG offers customers a five-year, unlimited-mile warranty on the engine, transmission and fuel system. CNG Vision production is expected to begin next spring. Blue Bird offers the same warranty on
its newly released Vision Gen 4 Propane school bus, which was also on display during the STN EXPO. Blue Bird said propane system advances made by ROUSH CleanTech is resulting in easier service-
16 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2016
A look under the new Vision CNG hood during the STN EXPO Trade Show.
ability from repositioned sending units and pre-injector. Te system also features O-ring sealed fuel lines and a new optional Euro-style fill connector. Blue Bird added that the Gen 4 Propane
Vision includes infinitely variable speed dual fuel pumps and thinner fuel rails to reduce start time by up to 50 percent. ●
CELEBRATING25YEARS
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