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Hybrid demonstration in Wellington 13/1/2016
The Volvo hybrid bus captured in Courtenay Place during its public trial outing on Wednesday, 13 January, and which is mooted as the type of replacement envisaged for Wellington's trolleybus fleet, photo courtesy of Alan Wickens.
Wellington's public transport system is on course to hit new clean green heights.
The public were offered a taste of the region's low emission, modern bus technology and travel on Wednesday when the Greater Wellington Regional Council, in conjunction with Volvo, hosted a demonstration of a hybrid electric and diesel bus in the capital.
The single-decker bus ran along the Golden Mile, between Wellington Railway Station and Courtenay Place, allowing people get on board, for free, and feel the difference.
It will be enlisted into service with Newlands Coach Services for three weeks.
Regional council transport portfolio leader Paul Swain said 10 hybrid buses would join the fleet from 2017 and would significantly reduce emissions produced from public transport.
However, unlike the demonstration bus, the new ones would be double-deckers.
"They will be bigger, just like they are in London," he said.
But unlike those in London, they will not be red. "The new buses and all of the region's buses will be painted in the regional council's green," Swain said.
The new buses were about lowering emissions, reducing bus congestion in the Wellington CBD by getting more people on fewer buses and improving reliability.
Ultimately, the regional council wanted its bus fleet to be electric, but the technology was still not available, so hybrids were the best way to make the transition.
Volvo Bus Corporation vice-president David Meads said the hybrids' main benefits were reducing emissions and noise.
The single-decker used up to 40 per cent less fuel than a conventional diesel-only bus operating on the same route and under the same conditions.
It also operated for almost 30 per cent of its time on the road in the silent or electric mode, he said. "At times it sounds and operates like a normal diesel bus and then it switches to silent electric mode."
Mana-Newlands bus driver Paul Fairs said the hybrid was just like driving a regular diesel bus but, when it went into silent mode, it took some getting used to.
"You think you have stalled when it turns itself off and into electric mode," he said.
"It's a bit weird but otherwise it's good, and there don't seem to be any power issues."
The regional council expects to have about 55 new low-emission double-decker buses, 10 of which will be the hybrids, running by 2018.
They would be prominent between Johnsonville and Island Bay, and parts of the journey between Karori and Seatoun.
Where tunnels proved too low for the double-deckers, new greater-capacity single-deckers would be used. - Dominion Post 13/1/2016
HYBRID BUS ON DISPLAY IN WELLINGTON
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Wellington's Mana Coach Services will be trialling a Volvo Hybrid bus from tomorrow.
Chief executive Ian Turner says the Volvo Hybrid will be used for three weeks on its busiest routes, from Courtenay Pl to Johnsonville, Newlands and Churton Park.
He hopes ultimately it will use less fuel and therefore reduce emissions. He says a good test for it will be the steep Ngauranga Gorge.
Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) plans to introduce up to 10 double-decker hybrid buses into the Wellington City fleet within two years. They're part of what it calls a stepping stone towards a fully electric fleet in the longer term.
GWRC Regional Transport Committee chair Paul Swain says the intention is to reduce emissions from the capital's bus fleet, but he admits it will come at a cost.
A conventional diesel bus costs $450,000 and a hybrid closer to $600,000.
The Volvo hybrid boasts: Burning 40 percent less diesel than a conventional bus; 80 percent fewer harmful emissions; glides silently around terminals and bus stops, reducing noise; just one hybrid battery that's charged using energy from the driver using the brake pedal.
Exactly who will supply the buses has yet to be decided.
The GWRC says hybrid buses will be part of a network that delivers faster services along the Golden Mile and weekend and evening services to suburbs that don't currently have them.
On concerns about the quietness of the hybrids and potential danger to pedestrians, Mr Swain says it's a case of "pedestrians beware".
He says the trolleybuses are also quiet and people got used to them.
Wellington's trolleybuses, which would have cost $50M to upgrade, will be decommissioned from the middle of next year. - 3 News
CARJAM DETAILS:
Make: 2015 VOLVO
Model: B5RH
Colour: Green
Submodel: BUSTECH
VIN: YV3T8R921FA171326
Plate: JKE390
Engine No: D5F-11719771
Chassis: 09
Seats: 44
NZ First Registration: October 6, 2015
The Wellington hybrid bus on trial:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2583RdJbY
For a brief video of the three types of Wellington buses in action go to:
Unfortunately the microphone on the camera is not very good so you could be forgiven for thinking that the three buses emitted equal levels of sound. The rear mounted engine of the third bus put out a lot more noise than the first two.
Hybrid demonstration in Wellington 13/1/2016
The Volvo hybrid bus captured in Courtenay Place during its public trial outing on Wednesday, 13 January, and which is mooted as the type of replacement envisaged for Wellington's trolleybus fleet, photo courtesy of Alan Wickens.
Wellington's public transport system is on course to hit new clean green heights.
The public were offered a taste of the region's low emission, modern bus technology and travel on Wednesday when the Greater Wellington Regional Council, in conjunction with Volvo, hosted a demonstration of a hybrid electric and diesel bus in the capital.
The single-decker bus ran along the Golden Mile, between Wellington Railway Station and Courtenay Place, allowing people get on board, for free, and feel the difference.
It will be enlisted into service with Newlands Coach Services for three weeks.
Regional council transport portfolio leader Paul Swain said 10 hybrid buses would join the fleet from 2017 and would significantly reduce emissions produced from public transport.
However, unlike the demonstration bus, the new ones would be double-deckers.
"They will be bigger, just like they are in London," he said.
But unlike those in London, they will not be red. "The new buses and all of the region's buses will be painted in the regional council's green," Swain said.
The new buses were about lowering emissions, reducing bus congestion in the Wellington CBD by getting more people on fewer buses and improving reliability.
Ultimately, the regional council wanted its bus fleet to be electric, but the technology was still not available, so hybrids were the best way to make the transition.
Volvo Bus Corporation vice-president David Meads said the hybrids' main benefits were reducing emissions and noise.
The single-decker used up to 40 per cent less fuel than a conventional diesel-only bus operating on the same route and under the same conditions.
It also operated for almost 30 per cent of its time on the road in the silent or electric mode, he said. "At times it sounds and operates like a normal diesel bus and then it switches to silent electric mode."
Mana-Newlands bus driver Paul Fairs said the hybrid was just like driving a regular diesel bus but, when it went into silent mode, it took some getting used to.
"You think you have stalled when it turns itself off and into electric mode," he said.
"It's a bit weird but otherwise it's good, and there don't seem to be any power issues."
The regional council expects to have about 55 new low-emission double-decker buses, 10 of which will be the hybrids, running by 2018.
They would be prominent between Johnsonville and Island Bay, and parts of the journey between Karori and Seatoun.
Where tunnels proved too low for the double-deckers, new greater-capacity single-deckers would be used. - Dominion Post 13/1/2016
HYBRID BUS ON DISPLAY IN WELLINGTON
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Wellington's Mana Coach Services will be trialling a Volvo Hybrid bus from tomorrow.
Chief executive Ian Turner says the Volvo Hybrid will be used for three weeks on its busiest routes, from Courtenay Pl to Johnsonville, Newlands and Churton Park.
He hopes ultimately it will use less fuel and therefore reduce emissions. He says a good test for it will be the steep Ngauranga Gorge.
Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) plans to introduce up to 10 double-decker hybrid buses into the Wellington City fleet within two years. They're part of what it calls a stepping stone towards a fully electric fleet in the longer term.
GWRC Regional Transport Committee chair Paul Swain says the intention is to reduce emissions from the capital's bus fleet, but he admits it will come at a cost.
A conventional diesel bus costs $450,000 and a hybrid closer to $600,000.
The Volvo hybrid boasts: Burning 40 percent less diesel than a conventional bus; 80 percent fewer harmful emissions; glides silently around terminals and bus stops, reducing noise; just one hybrid battery that's charged using energy from the driver using the brake pedal.
Exactly who will supply the buses has yet to be decided.
The GWRC says hybrid buses will be part of a network that delivers faster services along the Golden Mile and weekend and evening services to suburbs that don't currently have them.
On concerns about the quietness of the hybrids and potential danger to pedestrians, Mr Swain says it's a case of "pedestrians beware".
He says the trolleybuses are also quiet and people got used to them.
Wellington's trolleybuses, which would have cost $50M to upgrade, will be decommissioned from the middle of next year. - 3 News
CARJAM DETAILS:
Make: 2015 VOLVO
Model: B5RH
Colour: Green
Submodel: BUSTECH
VIN: YV3T8R921FA171326
Plate: JKE390
Engine No: D5F-11719771
Chassis: 09
Seats: 44
NZ First Registration: October 6, 2015
The Wellington hybrid bus on trial:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2583RdJbY
For a brief video of the three types of Wellington buses in action go to:
Unfortunately the microphone on the camera is not very good so you could be forgiven for thinking that the three buses emitted equal levels of sound. The rear mounted engine of the third bus put out a lot more noise than the first two.