DEC 09

GE's new hybrid electric bus tosses out the traditional idea of one large battery and replaces it with two different types of batteries working in tandem to maximize both energy storage and energy delivery.

The bus was built by the Federal Transit Authority Hybrid Transit Bus team, which includes GE scientists, and features one lithium battery and one sodium battery.  The lithium battery can provide bursts of power for propelling the bus, but can't store as much energy, while the sodium battery has a larger energy storage capacity, but isn't able to provide those bursts of power.  Each have their strengths that, coupled together, make up for their shortcomings, resulting in a hybrid system that doesn't have to compromise on power or range.

The other advantage to this dual battery system is that could be as much as 20 percent cheaper than one large lithium battery because less expensive battery chemistries can be used and there's no extra spending on scaling up.

The bus is currently able to hit a top speed of 50 mph and achieve a 60 - 80 mile range, depending on driving conditions.  The scientists are making tweaks in hopes of hitting a top speed of 62 mph and a 100-mile range under normal bus-driving conditions (a route with multiple stops and starts).

The 100-mile range is the golden ticket as the average daily distance driven by school and city buses hovers at or below the 100-mile mark.

via CNET

Image via GE

Comments (5)

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lithium battery
written by utility vehicle, December 11, 2010

well, I really believe that lithium battery is very luxury for electric vehicles, and I am aware of the fact that most utility vehicle is powered by lead acid battery.

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written by Craig D, December 11, 2010

How about combining this with your story below (by putting the flexible solar panels on the roof of the bus to help charge the batteries?

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Craig has a point
written by Asaf Shalgi, December 11, 2010

Why not start combining different energy sources together? Also if it works better as a double, why not quadruple it?

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written by Kyllein MacKellerann, December 16, 2010

There is a way to improve the bus's range and power availability that is already available and is off-the-shelf for this application. Germany developed a charge station that consisted of a pair of connectors over the street and a pair of pantograph arms to make the connection. While the bus sat at a stop (usually a layover stop), the arms got power from the overhead connectors to spin up a gyroscope which provided power for the bus. This could be adapted to charging the onboard batteries very easily and would allow "topping off" the charge while the bus was at rest. Another method of charging was used by smaller tram-lines and consisted of an electro-magnet buried in the street between the rails. When the tram came to a stop over this magnet, it switched on and partially recharged the batteries in the tram, allowing it to provide continuous service. This would work for the bus by simply providing a pre-set stopping spot that would place the bus's pickup over the induction coil in the street. Since it would only be on when the bus was over it, there would be no energy wasted when there was no bus there to be recharged. This way, service could be spread over a larger area and dedicated charging time reduced to a minimum.

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G2 Environmental
written by g2 environmental, December 18, 2010

An environment-friendly invention. More to come.

Technology

Environment

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