November 6, 2006

11 States to Receive First Hybrid School Buses

IC Corporation, the nation’s largest school bus manufacturer, has won a bid to provide up to 19 hybrid school buses to 11 states. New York, California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Iowa and Washington will be the first states in the nation to receive the hybrid school buses. Advanced Energy, a Raleigh, N.C.-based nonprofit corporation, initiated the buyer’s consortium of school districts, state energy agencies and student transportation providers that led to the RFP that IC Corporation won.

The hybrid school bus is expected to increase fuel efficiency by 40 percent.

These members of Advanced Energy’s buyers’ consortium are currently scheduled to receive buses:

• North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (2 buses)
• South Carolina Department of Educations (2 buses)
• State of New York (2 buses)
• Florida Department of Education (2 buses)
• Napa Valley Unified School District, Napa Valley, Calif. (1 bus)
• Durham School Services, Everett, Wash. (1 bus)
• Lake Chelan School District, Chelan, Wash. (1 bus)
• City of Seattle (1 bus)
• Little Rock, Ark., School District (1 bus)
• Sigourney Community School District, Sigourney, Iowa (1 bus)
• Nevada Community Schools, Nevada, Iowa (1 bus)
• Killeen Independent School District, Texas (1 bus)
• Austin Independent School District, Texas (1 bus)
• Fairfax County, Va. (1 bus)
• Jennings Transportation, Nazareth, Pa. (1 bus)

The hybrid school bus project features Enova’s post-transmission 80-kilowatt Hybrid Drive System. The initial powertrain will couple an International® VT365 V8 diesel engine with the 80-kilowatt hybrid-electric powertrain, incorporating a transmission, batteries and an electric motor. The system is based on a parallel architecture, allowing the system to utilize both diesel and electric power in a highly efficient manner.

Funding to support Advanced Energy’s initiative has come from North Carolina’s electric utilities (Duke Power, Progress Energy, Dominion North Carolina Power and North Carolina electric cooperatives) and the State Energy Office in North Carolina.

Advanced Energy is seeking additional funding at the state and private level to expand this program to more school districts and other states. More information about the program can be found at www.hybridschoolbus.org.

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