Suffolk Transportation Service develops plug-in hybrid school bus technology

BRENTWOOD, N.Y. - March 1, 2018 - PRLog -- Suffolk Transportation Service has developed plug-in hybrid school bus technology and is putting it into regular service in Brentwood Union Free School District, the biggest suburban school district in New York State.

The bus was developed over a two-year period by Suffolk Transportation Service, the largest school bus operator in Suffolk County with a fleet of 1,400 vehicles operating in 18 school districts.  The bus begins its regular in-district route serving Brentwood schools on March 5.

"School bus operators, and the districts they serve, welcome plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.  Suffolk Transportation invested tremendous time and capital in the technology, in part to encourage major bus manufacturers to develop efficient, clean technology at a lower cost," said John Corrado, President of Suffolk Transportation Service.

Road testing found the diesel-electric powered vehicle achieved 7.5 – 8.5 miles per gallon under normal conditions (compared to diesel, which gets 5.9 mpg). The new technology was inspected and approved by the New York State Department of Transportation in October.

The new hybrid technology, in which power to the transmission switches from diesel to electric as the vehicle gets up to speed, was developed by Suffolk Transportation in its own shop.  Technical assistance was provided by Unique Technical Services, LLC, a company that in its early stages was part of the Stony Brook Economic Development incubator and today has offices in Smithtown.

"As the state's largest suburban school district, we deploy a large fleet of fossil-fuel powered buses.  Brentwood schools are pleased to be part of a future with greater use of efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles with less reliance on fossil fuels," said Brentwood Union Free School District Superintendent Richard Loeschner.

On February 14, Brentwood schools Superintendent Loeschner and other district officials were joined by a group of Brentwood High School Environmental Engineering students to welcome the new bus to their community.