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Texas Adopts Hybrid Bus Fleet

The U.S. is making efforts to adopt the sustainable mobility concept, introducing many eco-friendly vehicles in the public services fleets. The latest development of this kind comes from Texas, where 18 hybrid electric busses will serve the public transport services.

Azure Dynamics Corporation, a company that develops electric and hybrid powertrains for the commercial truck market, announced that the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) has ordered 18 Balance Hybrid Electric shuttle busses.

The vehicles will be include in five different rural transit systems primarily in the North Central Texas (Dallas Fort Worth) area. Azure teamed-up with StarTrans Bus ans Lasseter Bus and Mobility to offer the vehicles.

"The 18 unit NCTCOG pilot program puts our product in the hands of five new end users which have all demonstrated their interest in cleaner transportation solutions," said Jay Sandler, Azure Dynamics' Vice President of Sales. "Our Balance(TM) Hybrid Electric drivetrain will deliver the environmental benefits that the customers want and that the communities deserve, and our up to 40% fuel economy improvement and reduced maintenance costs are extremely attractive ancillary benefits."

"The combination of access to government funding support and significant economic and environmental benefits has increased the call for green transportation solutions at our dealership," said Jason Roy, Commercial Bus Sales Manager at Lasseter Bus.

The shuttle busses use a Ford e450 chassis and have a powertrain that includes a 5.4 liter gasoline engine and a five-speed automatic Torqshift transmission. The vehicles use fuel-saving technologies, such as a stop-start system and regenerative braking. The shuttle bus bodies feature lifts for 10 ambulatory passengers plus two wheelchair passengers or 14 ambulatory passengers.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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