New Flyer Xcelsior 60-foot articulated transit bus. (Credit: New Flyer)New Flyer Industries has selected BAE Systems’ HybriDrive propulsion system to power a fleet of new 60-foot, low-floor rapid transit buses for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in San Jose, California. New Flyer Industries will provide up to 29 articulated hybrid buses for the transit agency, with an option for up to 20 additional buses at a later date.
Articulated buses are comprised of a single-deck design with two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint, allowing for higher passenger capacity.
“Santa Clara’s new articulated buses will be equipped with our HDS300 system,” said Steve Trichka, vice president and general manager of HybriDrive Solutions at BAE Systems. “The HDS300 system is derived from the same product line that powers 40-foot buses, so transit authorities can now benefit from the commonality of HybriDrive propulsion systems across all types of hybrid vehicles in their fleets.”
The HDS300 articulated bus solution, which powers 60-foot transit buses, is the newest addition to the HybriDrive Solutions product line. The HybriDrive family of products also includes the HDS100 European lightweight bus model and the HDS200 for 30- to 40-foot North American bus fleets. Allowing transit authorities the commonality of using HybriDrive propulsion systems across all the buses in their fleets will reduce inventory and maintenance costs, providing more options for customers. For additional fuel and maintenance savings, the HybriDrive family of propulsion systems enables all bus accessories, such as air conditioning, power steering, and more, to run electrically.
BAE Systems’ HybriDrive Series propulsion system powers nearly 4,000 buses worldwide today and is the most successful series system in operation. Buses equipped with the HybriDrive series propulsion system have traveled more than 600 million miles, prevented more than 520,000 tons of CO2 emissions, and saved more than 38 million gallons of diesel fuel.
“BAE Systems’ HDS300 HybriDrive system on our state of the art Xcelsior articulated bus allows New Flyer and our customers to benefit from the proven experience of their HDS200 HybriDrive system and addresses the lower emission requirements in our contract with the VTA” said Paul Smith, executive vice president for sales and marketing at New Flyer of America Inc. “Launching this technology in 2014 further validates our position as a technology leading integrator in our industry and adds yet another clean propulsion system option for our customers.”
The development and production of these hybrid propulsion systems will be conducted at BAE Systems’ Endicott, New York facility, with the first delivery scheduled for 2014.
