IRL: First hybrid public bus gets rolling

Transport firm Dublin Bus yesterday cut the ribbon on what it claims is the first public hybrid-electric bus to be used in the British Isles.

The bus, which will go into service next week, will be powered by a 2.4 litre diesel engine that is less than a third the size of normal bus engines but is supplemented by a Siemens hybrid-electric drive system supported by Lithium ion batteries.
The company said it expects the trial model to cut fuel consumption by a third compared to traditional models.

Dublin Bus said carbon dioxide emissions will be cut by 31 per cent, carbon monoxide emissions by 97.6 per cent, and nitrous oxide emissions by 12 per cent compared to conventional buses of a similar size. The bus will also be 50 per cent less noisy than traditional bus engines.

Business Green