Hybrid bus in San Sebastian saves 30% fuel
San Sebastian has done measurements to compare the Lion City Hybrid that is running since June 2011 with an EEV diesel bus. The results show that the hybrid saves 30 percent of fuel on average.
During the CIVITAS ARCHIMEDES project, DonostiaBus has been testing different buses with hybrid technology. In 2008, the IDEAS 1 of MAN was tested for several weeks. From the tests with this model, the company was able to identify the bus routes where a hybrid vehicle would achieve most savings in energy use and emissions. From June to September 2011, DonostiaBus has operated a pre-series model of the MAN Lions City Hybrid, and introduced the first serial produced Lions City Hybrid at the end of September. This new model of the Lions City Hybrid is reaching higher savings for the bus network of San Sebastian than its predecessors. The average fuel savings are 30 percent when compared to the Man Lion´s City EEV A21 model that runs on diesel. On routes with favourable conditions for the hybrid drive, fuel savings are even higher. The measurements continue to obtain a larger set of data. The outcomes of the final evaluation are expected in the spring of 2012.
Author: Eduardo González