News

New York City Transit Orders 125 Hybrid-Electric Buses

January 20, 2000 by Jeff Shepard

New York City Transit announced it has ordered 125 buses equipped with a hybrid electric drive system that is designed to dramatically reduce emissions and fuel consumption while improving performance and reducing maintenance costs.The buses will be equipped with the HybriDrive propulsion system, produced by Lockheed Martin Control Systems (Johnson City, NY). The system is designed to propel the vehicle with an ac motor powered by a diesel-driven generator and batteries that are recharged continually as the bus is driven. According to Lockheed, the diesel engine is smaller than that used in a conventional bus and operates at a nearly constant speed, so it is more fuel-efficient than a standard bus and produces a fraction of the emissions.According to tests performed by an EPA-approved lab, Lockheed Martin's hybrid system produces half the nitrous oxides and 98 percent less carbon monoxide than buses fueled by compressed natural gas, while producing about the same amount of particulate matter and delivering twice the fuel economy."We are extremely pleased that New York City Transit has demonstrated its confidence in our technology," said James Scanlon, president of Lockheed Martin Control Systems. "A number of other transit agencies have expressed interest in our HybriDrive system, and we're looking forward to supplying these systems that not only provide economic benefits, but also improve our environment."