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North Hempstead First to Take Step toward a Brighter Cleaner Tomorrow by Welcoming Hybrid Electric Buses

 

North Hempstead First to Take Step toward a Brighter Cleaner Tomorrow by Welcoming Hybrid Electric Buses

Manhasset, NY – Supervisor Jon Kaiman, Councilman Tom Dwyer, and Town Clerk Michelle Schimel are pleased to announce that recently the Town Board passed a unanimous bipartisan decision to approve the purchase of a Hybrid Electric bus for the Town of North Hempstead’s Community Bus Service. This decision will make North Hempstead the first township in New York State to take this important first step. The Hybrid Electric bus will be partially funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and will dramatically improve fuel efficiency, create lower operating and maintenance cost, and reduce emissions. The hybrid electric technology will be provided by the Odyne Corporation of Hauppauge.

“North Hempstead is proud to be the first Town in New York State to apply hybrid technology to a fleet of buses,” remarked Supervisor Jon Kaiman. “The hybrid buses will help cut down on rising fuel costs and will assist in the Town’s pursuit for a better environment for our community.”

During the conversion to hybrid electric buses, the Town will be able to take the standard Champion Bus built on a GMC frame and introduce a new and improved hybrid electric powered engine that will run on a much smaller amount of diesel fuel. These buses will also have the capability to run for a limited amount of time solely on electric power which emits no fumes into the air. A typical bus or car constantly emits fumes into the environment; the hybrid electric buses will have the capability to run at certain points without releasing and emissions or fumes.

“Hybrid electric technology is the wave of the future,” said Councilman Tom Dwyer. “The best possible thing we can do for future generations is to start working toward a cleaner today; the use of hybrid buses for transportation is definitely a step in the right direction.”

The transition to hybrid buses from standard diesel fuel powered buses is a continuation of the clean vehicle initiative that the Town began to address earlier this year by purchasing seven hybrid electric vehicles. The successful use of hybrid electric vehicles by the Town has paved the way for this next venture into hybrid buses. The Town’s current fleet of buses is powered solely by diesel fuel.

“The vehicles will simply be cleaner, quieter, last longer and will help the Town both save money and improve the environment,” added Town Clerk Michelle Schimel.

The funding for this effort will be provided in the form of services from the Odyne Corporation of Hauppauge and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The Town will provide Champion/GMC bus and The Odyne Corporation in conjunction with NYSERDA will pay the cost to convert the buses to hybrid technology. This allows the Town to remain fiscally conscientious while providing a cleaner environment for its residents to enjoy.

“NYSERDA was pleased to work with Odyne to fund the development of a Hybrid electric conversion unit that is enabling the Town of North Hempstead to convert its bus fleet to hybrid electric technology," said Peter R. Smith, President of NYSERDA. “We are also pleased that our investment will provide both economic and environmental benefits for the Town's residents."

“This project is very exciting for us and we are pleased to be working with the Town of North Hempstead,” said Josh Hauser of the Odyne Corporation. “We at Odyne truly believe that the cooperation between the Town of North Hempstead and Odyne is a marriage made in heaven, everyone at the Town has been so enthusiastic that it makes working on the Hybrid Electric Bus project truly thrilling.”

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