Hybrid school bus to hit the streets

One of the first diesel-electric hybrid school buses developed by IC Corp.’s a subsidiary of Navistar International, is headed to the Nazareth Area School District in Pennsylvania. This move is supported by a $112,000 grant under the state’s alternative fuels incentive program, which helped the school system buy the more expensive vehicle.

Enova Systems developed the hybrid drive system that powers the IC bus, which can be “plugged in” so its batteries can be recharged overnight without running the vehicle’s motor. With an overnight charge and using a larger battery built with a new type of chemistry, stored energy can be drawn down more efficiently over the bus’s driving cycle, improving fuel economy anywhere from 70% to 100%, said Michael Cancelliere, IC’s vp & gm.

Nazareth’s hybrid bus is one of 19 awarded to states around the country by Advanced Energy, a non-profit corporation that initiated a buyer’s consortium of school districts, state energy agencies and student transportation providers. Nazareth district school officials said they plan to put the bus in service immediately as it wraps up the 2006-2007 school year.