It brings me great pleasure to be able to give you some good news today.

I know I do a lot of bellyaching, but in my line of work - incessant research - a lot of foul, nasty things are uncovered.  So much so that I cannot, with a clear conscious, paint a pretty picture of our current government (on both sides of the aisle) and their ties to big oil. 

And even though the focus of this article is Daimler bringing some great hybrid buses to New York City and the City of Ottawa, I would first like to a moment to bring to your attention some interesting reports I've found on Zap, who is currently suing Chrysler for some antics in the Smart car market.

The following was in CNN Money, on December 16, 2007:

"Turkey's general staff said its warplanes had hit the 'regions of Zap (OTCBB:ZAAP) , Hakurk and Avasin as well as the Qandil mountains' -- known to harbour rear bases of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)."

And, on YeniSafak, a Turkish news site...

"International Marketing & Sales Group Ltd (IMSG) said it has acquired Turkish online marketing and advertising agency Zap (OTCBB:ZAAP) Medya Tanitim ve Iletsim Hizmetleri Dis Tiscaret AS (Zap) for up to about 13 mln usd."

Well, all of this is complete malarky, and Zap CEO Steve Schneider retorted...

"There have been many false news reports about ZAP in the past, but these recent ones are ridiculous. We don't know if these stories are falsified or are simply a mistake, but we are going to be looking into them. We do know that there are interests out there that don't want electric cars to succeed and those who would prevent ZAP from meeting its future goals."

I'm not going to say anything, because, quite frankly I don't know.  But, I must say the timing of these absolutely incredulous reports could not be more suspicious considering the climate of the times.

Non-petroleum food for though, my friends. 

Now with that out of the way, here's something I think you'll really like...

Those that choose to use public transportation every day in New York City help eliminate 700,000 cars from the grid lock mix, and more importantly, allow for the displacement of  400 million pounds of soot, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and other toxic substances released into the city's air each year.

But, as we all know, buses, by no means, are clean forms of transportation.

In a past article I discussed the long term health effects of children riding on school buses every day.

In 2002, a think-tank of top Yale researchers concluded that children riding buses were exposed to between five and 15 times more particles than the average person.

In '03, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) found that two hours each day on a school bus from kindergarten through high school increases the risk of cancer by five percent.

Now I know those numbers aren't for city buses, but I can promise you that the numbers aren't far off.

That's why I'm pleased to announce Daimler Buses North America has just received orders for 1,052 Orion VII Next Generation diesel-electric series hybrid transit buses.

Using BAE System's HybriDrive -

l        an in-line six, 5.9 liter Cummins diesel that produces 260 hp

l        a 120 kw generator

l        a 32 kWh battery pack from A123Systems

l        and a 250 hp traction motor that pushes out an incredible 2,100 1b-ft of continuous torque with a 2,700 lb-ft peak - these Orion VII buses reduce emissions considerably.

Using this system, the city operators can expect 90% less particulate matter, 40% less NOx and 30% fewer greenhouse gases.

Of those 1,052 buses, 850 are going to New York by 2010 and the remaining 202 will be sold to the City of Ottawa.

Hybrid Bus Revolution

As we've discussed before, hybrid buses are really starting to take off.  From municipalities across the country to major delivery companies like UPS and FedEx, diesel/electric hybrids have significant benefits over other "green" buses, like compressed natural gas.

By using proven diesel powerplants, such as the Cummins found in the Orion VII, normal maintenance procedures can be sustained and fleet mechanics will keep their jobs.

Not to mention, taking the strain off of the engine and eliminating the transmission, the hearty electric motors take the brunt of the work and need next to no maintenance.

How can you not love this stuff?!!

Field Palmer