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London busses to use diesel hybrid.

Dieselman

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London busses are using diesel hybrids to reduce fuel consumption and maintenance costs.
There have been a number of comments regarding smokey diesel London busses, I can't see how that can be when they are all fitted with particulate traps??:confused:

When a diesel hybrid comes out I will be first in the queue, although it loks like Citroen will beat MB to the release.

"Transport for London (TfL), the transit authority serving the city of London, UK, has announced the addition of six hybrid diesel-electric urban buses—the first ever such vehicles in London—to the city bus fleet. The vehicles are introduced as part of an ongoing program by TfL to test innovative technology and further reduce emissions from its bus fleet. This is the first of a number of hybrid systems to be evaluated by London Buses, said TfL.

The new hybrid buses, built by the Wright Group, are expected to be cleaner, quieter and use 40% less fuel than a standard diesel bus, thus leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions. The six hybrid vehicles will be monitored and assessed over the coming months for performance, reliability and durability. If they prove successful, London Buses will encourage their wider introduction into the fleet.

The Wright hybrids use a series hybrid drive by Enova Systems. A 336 V battery pack provides power to the wheels via a 120 kW electric motor. The battery pack is charged by a 1.9 liter Euro 4 diesel—a small engine which would normally be found in a family car. The buses have a top speed of 40–45 mph.

London Buses operates a fleet of 8,000 buses, around 60% of which are Euro III vehicles, and the remainder meeting Euro II standards. All buses have been fitted with particulate filters.

Source: Transport for London"
 
My windows overlook onto Great Portland Street in the West End. They are single glazed...
Every minute is disrupted by the clattering of diesel engines from buses idling and the sound from diesel taxis driven by drivers with binary throttle control.
Once in a while will be a bus with a leaky turbo hose - this sounds very similar to a jet aircraft taking off.
Hybrid buses sound, quite literally, better! It's getting uncomfortable to sleep with Army spec firing ear defenders.
 
I work in central London and obviously see buses every day; having done a few business trips to the US (Houston) I couldn't believe how noisy theirs were in comparison. I could hear them go past from a 9th floor double-glazed hotel room!

I see this silent 'stealth bus' in London quite often, in cold weather it looks like it's steam-powered ... a huge plume from the exhaust. Looks funny just above "no emissions" in huge letters!

Fuelcellbus1.jpg


Fuelcellbus2.jpg
 
Aha. I see you've fallen into the popular trap, in that if you can see emissions they must be polutants, whereas if you cant then they are non poluting.

Not so. Some of the worst vehicles emit no visible emission, whereas some clean vehicles emit a visible emission.
It's what's in the emission that counts.
 
How can a vehicle leaving a 15' plume of steam behind it claim "no emissions"?!

"No HARMFUL emissions" would be fine - I'm just being pedantic :D
 

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