A municipal transportation authority for a major northeast city took a turn towards a healthier environment when adding to its fleet of buses. Over the past two years, the company has been replacing old buses with more fuel efficient hybrid vehicles. While the fuel costs and emissions went down, the authority discovered that their maintenance employees would regularly be climbing up to the top of the new buses.
“Whenever we do any work on the bus, we have to be sure the electric supply is turned off,” said the Supervisor of the Unit Change area. “In order for us to turn off the electricity, we’ve got to get on the roof.”
The new hybrid buses feature an electric battery pack which is located on the top of the bus. That location has better airflow than if it was mounted underneath, which reduces corrosion and aids in heat dissipation of the battery unit.