School Bus Hybrids

I first saw this at autoblog, but it makes a lot of sense to me. With the potential for providing cost savings at the pump and being environmentally friendly, it could pass muster at your local town meetings, too.

School Bus Hybrids:

Enova Enters into a School Bus Program with Major N.A. Truck and Bus Manufacturer


TORRANCE, CA, December 16, 2005 – Enova Systems, (OTCBB: ENOV and AIM: ENV and ENVS), a leading developer and manufacturer of electric, hybrid and fuel cell digital power management systems, announced today that it has entered into a joint School Bus program with a major North American Truck Manufacturer.


The School Bus project will feature Enova's post transmission 80 kW Hybrid Drive System and has the potential to lead to future production 2006 and beyond.



“Upon successful completion of the first hybrid-electric bus, (scheduled before December 31, 2005), we believe the annual market demand for these production drive systems could grow rapidly based on discussions with this customer. The current conventional market for school buses in the United States, with this manufacturer alone, exceeds 60,000 vehicles per annum " noted Enova's CEO, Ed Riddell. Enova believes its proprietary environmentaly-friendly technology, in addition to significant fuel savings to school bus operators, “will have added benefits of greatly reduced emissions, as well as noise, assisting town planners and local authorities in making towns and cities a better place to live in”, according to Enova Chairman of the Board Anthony Rawlinson.


Enova believes that its strengthened balance sheet - a result of its recent US$18 million capital raising from London's AIM market - together with its leading-edge technological position and growing global market presence, creates an ideal environment to attract production-oriented, hybrid-electric drive system programs of this type.

Technorati tags: Hybrid, School bus