GM Delivers Hybrid Power for Buses

[HarleyEarl]

FOR RELEASE: 2005-12-09 Aspen Celebrates Delivery of Hybrid Buses GM delivers hybrid power for buses added to RFTA transit fleet ASPEN, Colo. - A fleet of seven New Flyer transit buses powered by General Motors hybrid technology will be helping to preserve the natural beauty and environment in Aspen and Roaring Fork Valley. The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), the City of Aspen, the Town of Snowmass Village and Pitkin County join the growing ranks of communities investing in transit buses powered by General Motors' hybrid technology, which offers cleaner emissions and greater fuel economy than conventional diesel buses. The Roaring Fork Valley is known as one of the premiere ski destinations in the world. The fleet of hybrid buses will shuttle visitors within the City of Aspen, to and from the Snowmass ski area and throughout the Roaring Folk Valley. The buses will also serve the Maroon Bells Wilderness, an environmentally-sensitive area where automobile traffic is already restricted in the summer months. Four GM hybrid powered buses were put into service today and three additional buses are scheduled for delivery in 2006. Chief executive officer Dan Blankenship, RFTA, invited the community and media to join in a celebration today along with executives from GM, New Flyer, the bus manufacturer and Stewart and Stevenson, the retrofitter of the hybrid technology. On hand for the festivities were Helen Klanderud, Mayor of Aspen; Bill Boineau, Mayor Pro Tem of the Town of Snowmass Village; and representatives from the RFTA, New Flyer and General Motors. "Noise and emissions from the previous diesel engine buses have been a cause for public concern," said Mayor Klanderud. "GM's hybrid technology considerably reduces noise and emissions, qualities that are particularly important and beneficial to our environmentally-sensitive area. These buses will provide a real benefit for residents and visitors to our beautiful city." Transit buses with GM's hybrid propulsion system deliver significantly better fuel economy than traditional transit buses, reduce certain emissions up to 90 percent and have operating sound levels approaching that of passenger cars. Furthermore, the buses will run on a blend of biodiesel, a renewable agricultural-based fuel, which not only helps to reduce dependency on foreign oil, but also provides dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. "RFTA, in partnership with the City of Aspen, Pitkin County and the Town of Snowmass Village, sought an alternative mass transit system that would reduce environmental impacts on the community and dependence on foreign oil by moving towards sustainable and renewable forms of energy," said Dan Blankenship, CEO of RFTA. "These buses are a positive step in that direction and a big win for everyone in and around the Roaring Fork Valley." Other benefits of the GM hybrid system include reduced maintenance costs resulting from extended brake, engine oil and transmission oil life; superior torque; and better acceleration than conventional diesel. "The GM Allison hybrid system impressed even the most skeptical people," said Bill Boineau, council member of Snowmass Village. "Its excellent performance, low emissions and reduced noise levels were what really sold people on the technology." The RFTA hybrid buses will operate year-round, carry up to 300 passengers per hour, and provide continuous in-service operation to visitors for up to 20 hours a day. The hybrid buses will operate under several unique conditions including operating at elevations of up to 9,000 feet above sea level, climbing grades as steep as 12 percent and regularly traveling at speeds of up to 65 mph. "These buses use the most efficient two-mode hybrid architecture available in the world today and have served as a starting point for GM's co-development of a two-mode full hybrid system for applications in trucks, cars, and sport utility vehicles with a variety of drive configurations, such as front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive," said Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Powertrain. "GM will launch the two-mode full hybrid in 2007 in the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon." The clean hybrid technology is manufactured by GM Allison Transmission, maker of transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems for commercial trucks, buses, off-highway equipment and military vehicles, headquartered in Indianapolis. The buses are manufactured by New Flyer Industries, the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in Canada and the U.S. New Flyer is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and has two facilities in the U.S. General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 321,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company's history. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com. GM's corporate responsibility web site, www.gmability.com, contains additional information about GM's environmental initiatives. ###

[pow]

I rode one at Yosemite National Park... it didn't seem noisy or smelly, but to be fair, I haven't ridden in many buses before so I can't really compare.

[regfootball]

"reduce certain emissions up to 90 percent"