East Coast Hybrid Consortium to assist transit agencies in implementing hybrid diesel electric bus technologies

29 June 2001

The East Coast Hybrid Consortium (TECHC) has been formed to assist transit agencies with the development of low emission, hybrid transit buses for use in communities along the US East Coast. TECHC will provide resources to participating transit agencies in order to define a common specification for prototype vehicles meeting their needs. TECHC will also 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 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.

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. 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. Additional funding will be pursued by TECHC from other component suppliers and bus manufacturers.

This project is being undertaken in connection to the Consent Decree signed in 1998 between Cummins and the US EPA/DOJ.

For more information contact: Yina A. Moore, 609/688-9435.

Source: East Coast Hybrid Consortium