Electric Bus Conversion - Jay Leno's Garage

Electric Bus Conversion. Macy Neshati takes Jay through Complete Coach Works' all-electric, zero-emission city bus conversion. It's homegrown ingenuity designed to revolutionize American mass transit!

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Electric Bus Conversion - Jay Leno's Garage

Jay Leno's Garage

[RamblinAround]

I think this is the perfect use for electric vehicles. Excellent idea.

[cg]

I love the passion of this guy. These people look forward. And this is 9 years ago. So awesome.

[northstar]

I occasionally drive trolleybuses at a local museum operating from the 600v dc overhead, the UK had hundreds of them until the mid sixties and the last went in 73. They too had rheostatic brakes and were of course virtually silent and no pollution at road level. Battery buses like this are ideal for the cities and I think the recycling of the original structure is excellent.

[fivefive]

This is a great idea. Reusing and updating existing equipment.

[finnmacdonald]

Beautiful D40LF!! I never knew an old Detroit D40LF could become electric. I miss the Detroit sound though

[Roopull]

I love that this is happening NOW, and kudos to Complete Coach Works for doing this. I work for "Big Brown, " and would LOVE to not have to fool with the nasty diesel pumps at the end of the day... to say nothing of the noise, stench & unreliability of some of our trucks. The routes in my area go between 80 & 150 miles per day, so I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before we have them.

[coldcoldrain]

The roof of that bus is begging for solar.

[jendel]

Retired bus driver from Las Vegas, here. I agree with all of you commenting about room on the roof of this bus for solar panels. Even with the HVAC unit mounted up top, RIGHT ON! They may be able to extend the range of the bus that much farther with solar panels. Also, among the buses in our fleet back when I used to drive, the one you see here, the New Flyer D-40 Low Floor, was a real treat to drive. They had decent power, a nice ride, and handled surprisingly well for a city bus.

[annaavramenko]

What a great idea to recycle and convert to electric! Well done guys! We need more of this!

[BT-crxb]

Ever notice that whatever Jay drives is always over the lane lines? LoL.

[travp]

Jays so awesome. He can drive anything. Love it. Have a great day everyone

[alext]

Mr. Neshati seems like a very astute chap. Knows the product inside and out, and explains things well.

[Sohave]

No comments? this bus is awesome! we should do the same thing in Europe.

[onetongwa]

I need my RV converted now, I love this kind of thinking.

[jemdude]

 
Another option is duo-powered electric bus which essentially is a trolleybus with onboard high-capacity battery capable of fast charging. However, it's also equipped with a pair of modern current collectors (trolley poles) you would see on a conventional trolleybus.  While under the wires, the bus is directly powered by electric power drawn from overhead wires and at the same time, it is also charging a bank of onboard battery (usually lithium ion battery).  The bus can go on battery with full load & air-conditioning running for up to 15 miles or more.

You only need to install overhead wires on certain segments of the route. For example, if you find the wires unsightly you have the option not to have overhead wires in the city centre or places of interests or popular for sightseeing for tourists, etc. You have the flexibility to have overhead wires only in the suburbs, housing estates whether the bus route is a cross-city route or radial route.  

With this technology, you can completely eliminate the need for overhead wires in the city and only have them in the suburban segments of the bus route. When entering the city, the bus automatically disconnects from the overhead wires at a touch of a button by the driver, which lowers the current collectors and locks them down on the roof and continues its journey like a conventional electric bus inside the city area. Upon exiting the city, the bus enters the wired zone and raises its current collectors at the specific catchment area (usually at a bus stop), also at a touch of a button by the driver.  Passengers inside the bus would not even notice the change of power source as this is done very quickly when the bus calls at a bus stop. 

Compared with a conventional electric bus:  
Carry smaller and lighter battery, no charging stations required, no time wasted on battery charging as it charges on the go, faster turnaround at the bus terminal if required by deployment,  guaranteed continuous supply of electricity with parts of route under overhead wires, strengthened reliability, more attractive to commuting public as overhead wires indicates the presence of public transport & a sense of permanence. 

Compared with a conventional trolleybus:
More flexible as it can operate independent of overhead wires for long distances like a conventional electric bus, eliminate the need for new overhead wires in the event of route changes or extensions (be it temporary or permanent).

With that, you get the best of both worlds. :) 

[scootosan]

American ingenuity that is awesome, recycling and good for the environment. And no federal grant money we need more companies like this.

[rcoveyduc]

This is great! Reduce, reuse, recycle, re-purpose! There are a few hydrogen cell buses here in Halifax, NS, Canada. The rest are diesel. I've forwarded this video onto the transit authority, and the mayor. Thanks for sharing this Jay, and CCW!

[erikziak]

Supercapacitors are being used in DC traction substations for streetcars and trolleybuses, they improve regenerative braking efficiency. When the energy generated by the breaking vehicle is not taken by another vehicle, it is not wasted in resistors, but taken by supercapacitors that feed it back to the section when it will be needed. Supercapacitors can charge up quicky and keep the charge for reasonable time before discharging. When you have regular, frequent service, they are a real benefit.

[MJofLakelandX]

Rode two of the GILLIG versions of these in Frederick, Maryland. Pretty cool technology I will say. Really gives a new perspective on how you can rebuild vehicles to convert from diesel to electric with just months labor.

[SgtAl]

I was at the garage that day and got to ride on the bus with Jay at the wheel. He drove the bus really well. If the whole entertainer thing doesn't work out for him he would make a really good bus driver.