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Cities across the country are hopping on board the hybrid bus craze. Four U.S. cities have ordered over 1,700 hybrid buses alone, and many more are on their way. Numbers of hybrid buses on the road should soon escalate from 2 percent to 22 percent, and manufacturers say the hybrid diesel-electric bus is the transportation of the future. Among the biggest producers globally are Sweden’s Volvo and Germany’s Daimler, who produced 10,000 and 42,000 hybrid buses last year, respectively.
The new fuel system cuts bus CO2 emissions by 20 to 30 percent, with a similar reduction in gas consumption. Because they are largely battery powered, diesel-electric buses produce about 90 percent less soot and get an additional 3.1 miles to the gallon, about a 34 percent improvement in miles per gallon.
It seems then that hybrid buses are a no-brainer solution to greening public transportation. The only problem: their cost. Diesel-electric buses cost $500,000, which is nearly $200,000 more expensive than their standard diesel counterpart. Another technology, the hydrogen hybrid, is even more expensive than the diesel electric and unlikely to get off the ground; a third option that uses a fuel cell has sold less than 100 buses worldwide since 2003. In times of economic crisis, companies are hesitant to invest in the high startup costs. Manufacturers and experts have not been able to get around the cost-efficiency and environmental problems that are a function of hydrogen. Even the savings from using less fuel might not be enough to recoup the large costs of the hybrids.
Yet despite the concerns of whether the benefits outweigh the costs, hybrid buses are on the rise. It seems that diesel-electric buses are coming into favor with the public, with people preferring hybrids as their choice of transportation. But because companies are having trouble financing the production, the government has been the key player in helping hybrids take off. Germany’s Man bus company spokesperson Thorsten Wagner agreed that “with [government help], this technology can take over 50 percent of the market within five or 10 years. Without, it probably won't surpass 20 percent and will only catch on in places that want to appear environmentally-friendly.” And the best way you can help drive the demand for hybrid buses is to not drive at all and ride one. You should be able to concentrate more easily on the morning paper, as the buses are quieter too.
