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News & Updates: Newsroom
Greater Cleveland RTA Demonstrates GM Hybrid Technology
Technology to be part of Euclid
Corridor Transportation Project
CLEVELAND – The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is testing a prototype transit vehicle powered by General Motors’ state-of-the-art hybrid propulsion technology that will be used for the city’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) initiative called Silver Line.
The GM hybrid-powered demonstration vehicle is similar to the 21 vehicles that the RTA intends to purchase from bus manufacturer New Flyer Industries by the end of 2007. GM’s hybrid technology offers significantly greater fuel economy and cleaner emissions than conventional buses.
Attending today’s event were Joe Marinucci, President and CEO, Downtown Cleveland Partnership; Joe Calabrese, CEO, Greater Cleveland RTA; David Mikoryak, Manager, Electric Drive Program, GM Allison; and Joel Abraman, Sales Representative, New Flyer.
The Silver Line is one component of Greater Cleveland RTA’s Euclid Corridor Transportation Project, which aims to improve transit service, utilize environmentally friendly vehicles, reduce traffic congestion, enhance pedestrian safety and support increased development along Euclid Avenue. The project will provide shorter travel times along Euclid Avenue and linkages with other RTA services for better access to work, home, medical, educational, and cultural centers in Greater Cleveland.
According to the RTA, the Silver Line will be operational in 2008.
BRT combines the best features of bus and light rail transportation,
including: exclusive vehicle lanes, off-board fare collection, and fast
loading/unloading low-floor vehicles which are compliant with the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
More cost-effective than light rail, BRT provides significantly faster operating speeds and greater service reliability than conventional bus operations.
Transit buses powered by GM’s hybrid
technology deliver significantly better fuel economy than traditional transit
buses and produce up to 60 percent fewer oxides of nitrogen emissions and 90
percent fewer particulate, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions. Other
benefits of the buses include reduced maintenance costs resulting from extended
brake, engine oil and transmission oil life; superior torque, giving 50 percent
faster acceleration than conventional diesel buses and operational sound levels
approaching that of passenger cars.
“The General Motors hybrid diesel electric
drive system for buses uses the most efficient parallel hybrid architecture
available in the world today and is perfect for BRT initiatives,” said Tom
Stephens, Group Vice President of GM Powertrain. “If the U.S. had only 1,000 GM
hybrid powered buses operating in major cities, the cumulative savings would be
more than 1.5 million gallons of fuel annually.”
Currently, there are nearly 380 GM hybrid-equipped buses operating in 29 cities in the U.S. and Canada. For 2006, GM starts the year with 216 hybrid-powered buses scheduled for delivery to six U.S. cities.
The clean hybrid technology is manufactured
by GM’s Allison Transmission, maker of transmissions and hybrid propulsion
systems for commercial trucks, buses, off-highway equipment and military
vehicles, headquartered in Indianapolis. New Flyer Industries manufactures the
buses. New Flyer is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with two facilities in
the U.S. and is the largest manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in North
America.
General Motors Corp.
(NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales
leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people
around the world. With global
headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks
were sold globally under the following
brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet,
GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM operates one of the world’s
leading finance companies, GMAC Financial Services, which offers automotive,
residential and commercial financing and insurance. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security
and information services. More
information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.
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Brian Corbett GM Hybrid Communications Phone: 248-857-0323 Mobile: 586-612-6569 E-mail: brian.corbett@gm.com |
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Stephen Bitto Marketing and Communications Director Greater Cleveland RTA Phone : 216-566-5255 E-mail : sbitto@gcrta.org |
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Amy Miller New Flyer Industries Phone: 204-224-6613 E-mail: amy_miller@newflyer.com |
