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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bus goes 2.5 times the distance on same amount of fuelCO2 emissions cut by 60% and noise level at merely 58 decibels!Today's Date -- The e-Traction® Bus,
the reincarnation of the X97 originally developed for the city of Rotterdam, has
started an extensive program of tests.
The e-Traction® Bus uses two, direct drive electric wheel-hub, TheWheel™ SM500/2FE units which are powered by the e-Traction® energy management system. This lightweight monocoque bus, originally jointly built by the now defunct companies Fokker and Den Oudsten, utilizes the same construction technique now applied by Stork Fokker AESP Aerospace Group in the Phileas bus for the town of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. After the planned revisions of the generator and batteries have been completed the fuel mileage is expected to increase to 7.6 kilometer per liter diesel, or 17.9 miles per (U.S.) gallon. Once completed, the heavier and longer Whisper™ is expected to reach 6.2 kilometers per liter ( 14.6 MPG). When compared to the average consumption of less than 2
Experiments have shown that the e-Traction® System can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 66.7%. On average, a city bus in Amsterdam uses 45,000 liters of diesel fuel per year. Were the same bus to be equipped with the e-Traction® System, this number drops to below 15,000 liters. The 30,000 liters thus saved with one bus would allow 30 average passenger cars to be operated for an entire year. Conservatively estimated; the energy saved with one bus, with a reduction of just 50% in fuel consumption, operated for 90,000 kilometers per year, equals the energy generated by 3,202 solar panels costing more than US$ 1.5 million and covering some 30,000 sqf. The incremental cost of such a bus, equipped with the e-Traction® System, is no more than US$25,000 – US$50,000. Some 38 buses combined, again with a reduced fuel consumption of just 50%, would save the same amount of energy that could annually be produced by a giant 2 megawatt wind generator costing well over US$ 2 million each, not counting maintenance, environmental impact studies and the real estate expense. The Department of Transportation indicates that in the U.S, there are over 600,000 school buses. Add to this, the formidable number of the short range buses, garbage trucks and delivery vehicles operated in congested city centers. A compelling case could, therefore, be made that a dramatic change in the way these vehicles should be propelled is not only good for the environment, but also for the economy. To achieve fuel savings of this magnitude by improving in the fairly efficient cars most people drive today for no more than 10,000 miles per year is simply not possible. This was highlighted in a recent article in a leading car magazine upon conclusion of their usage test of a Toyota Prius (43 MPG) in comparison to that of a Honda Civic LX (33 MPG), which indicated that one would have to drive 333,000 miles to break-even on the investment. Such is clearly not the case with commercial vehicles, which are vastly less fuel efficient and cover at least ten times the distance in any given year. The e-Traction® technology is extremely versatile and has many automotive application possibilities. Not only new vehicles can benefit; conversion of existing vehicles is a viable option too. The company is also working on a novel electrically powered bicycle utilizing the knowledge gained from the larger applications. In addition, a new exhaust system is being developed that promises to dramatically reduce emissions from conventional fossil fuel engines.
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Send mail to info@e-Traction.com
with questions or comments about this web site.
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