Consortium Assists Transit Agencies to Develop Low Emission Buses

    PRINCETON, N.J.--June 27, 2001--The East Coast Hybrid Consortium (TECHC) today announced a project to assist transit agencies with the development of hybrid transit buses for use in communities along the East Coast.
    The new hybrid buses are expected to achieve low emissions of an estimated 878 tons less nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and 28 tons less of particulate matter (PM) emissions over the life of the fleet.
    TECHC will provide resources to participating transit agencies in order to define a common specification for prototype vehicles meeting their needs. Once these specifications are determined, TECHC will work with transit agencies to obtain competitive bids from bus manufacturers for prototype vehicles and will help them to oversee the manufacturing process of prototype buses. TECHC participants will have the opportunity to operate the prototype vehicles in their communities and recommend modifications to the prototype vehicles. These modifications will then be used to issue a final specification to solicit competitive bids from bus manufacturers and will allow participating agencies to purchase specialized, low emissions hybrid transit buses for use in their fleets.
    TECHC will choose up to ten transit properties located along the East Coast in need of lower emissions technology but lacking the resources to develop customized hybrid systems for use in their area. During the 18-month process, TECHC will offer technical assistance, value engineering, production oversight, and project management at no cost to the participants. In addition, TECHC will cover costs for travel to selected site meetings, and in-operations product reviews and product evaluations. TECHC will also arrange product presentations and factory visits.
    Transit properties chosen by TECHC must agree to purchase buses with current and future year Federal Transit Administration (FTA) capital equipment funding allocations. Cummins Inc. has committed funds to TECHC to provide project administration for this program. Additional funding will be pursued by TECHC from other component suppliers and bus manufacturers.
    TECHC expects to draw interest from a range of small and large transit properties, all of which are unable to afford the high costs of product research, development and evaluation of hybrid bus technologies which would lead to an informed purchase decision. The project is also expected to attract the attention of manufacturers and suppliers as they seek to increase the development and production of hybrid vehicles in response to a larger quantity order consisting of several transit properties.
    Cummins Metropower, Inc., an authorized distributor and representative of Cummins Inc., has contracted with Yina A. Moore, consultant principal of YAM Design and Development. With assistance from the National Transit Institute of Rutgers University, these parties will manage the TECHC procurement project. The first of several site meetings to discuss the project will be held June 27-28, 2001 at the Newark Gateway Hilton in Newark, NJ. Additional information may be obtained by calling 609-688-9435.
    Cummins, headquartered in Columbus, Ind., is the world's largest producer of commercial diesel engines above 50 horsepower. The company provides products and services for customers in markets worldwide for engines, power generation, and filtration. Cummins reported sales of $6.6 billion in 2000. Press releases by fax may be requested by calling News on Demand (toll free) at 888-329-2305. Cummins' home page on the Internet can be found at http://www.cummins.com.
    Established in 2001, TECHC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the research, promotion and implementation of environmentally conscious transportation programs. TECHC relies on funding through grants, donations, contributions, and in-kind services to fulfill its purpose.
    This project is being undertaken pursuant to an agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency in connection with a settlement of disputed claims in an enforcement action under the Clean Air Act.