Clean diesel buses may herald a move towards hybrids Down Under
The Australian state of Victoria may be planning to trial a fleet of hybrid diesel-electric buses after recently upgrading 24 of its existing public transport buses with clean diesel models. The Australian-first Euro 4 Clean Diesel buses, which are able to reduce carbon emissions by a third, are seen as an important stepping stone towards introducing hybrids models. The state government is planning to spend AUD$189 million (US$150 million) replacing 880 buses across Victoria in a move to make them compliant with national disabled access standards.
Analysis: Hybrid buses are already well established in many U.S. cities including New York and Seattle, with other cities around the world such as London planning their introduction. While trials of hydrogen-fueled buses are also taking place, I think it's important to move forward with hybrid technology available today - a fact reinforced every time I'm stuck behind a diesel bus in traffic belching out smoke.
Related:
- DOE & USDA study proves biodiesel massively reduces dangerous emissions
- New York City's clean air buses striving to be the cleanest fleet in the world
- PublicRoutes.com Launches Directions Resource for Los Angeles Public Transportation System
[Source: Drive.com.au]
