http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/City-Burbank-Premier-Worlds-First/story.aspx?guid=%7BBA90DF33-52A2-459F-9632-23179021BB6D%7DBURBANK, Calif., Dec 17, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Demonstration Project to Launch with Zero Emissions Vehicle in Spring 2009
The City of Burbank has been selected as a national test market for a new zero-emissions, ultra-quiet prototype bus that uses a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a diesel or gasoline engine. The breakthrough vehicle will be unveiled in a spring 2009 Downtown Burbank ceremony and then go into immediate service on various routes within the City's BurbankBus network.
Designed and fabricated by Colorado-based Proterra, the revolutionary vehicle can travel 250 miles before needing to be recharged, runs at double the fuel economy of a diesel bus and releases nothing but water from the engine exhaust. In addition to being created and built in this country, it relies on power that is 100% derived from U.S. sources, thereby reducing dependence on foreign energy.
The vehicle features several world-firsts for public transportation:
-- It is the first-ever light-weight composite bus that is purpose-built to
be a plug-in hybrid, offering the advantage of super fuel efficiency
-- It is the first to apply mass-produced smaller output (< 50 kW or
< 67 HP) automotive fuel cells as range extension to a plug-in hybrid
bus, and as such substantially reduces vehicle and lifetime operating
costs
-- And it offers the world's first fast-charge battery technology,
which is capable of fully recharging the battery in a record 6 minutes.
This allows buses to re-power during driver rest breaks.
<more>