Eco Factor: Low-emission bus designed to meet idling laws.
Bauer’s Transportation is trying to change its brand image, by introducing new buses that use solar energy to power onboard electronic systems even when the bus engine is off. The company, which provides hi-tech black buses to shuttle employees of tech companies like Twitter and Facebook, has unveiled the Solar Hybrid Bus, which has been specifically designed to meet anti-idling laws enforced in the United States.
The solar bus is a 57-passenger Setra that has a rooftop array of solar panels and has a reconfigured interior floor plan with 52 seats and a set of table seatings. The bus includes four thin film solar panels that run the length of the bus and charge an on-board battery bank. When the bus engine is off, the batteries power the air-conditioning system and the wireless connectivity equipment.
The creators believe that the addition of solar panels will help save about $14,000 in fuel per bus each year and reduce up to 345,000 grams of NOx per bus per year.
Via: SFGate
