The state's first hybrid diesel-electric transit buses were unveiled during a ceremony at the West Virginia Capitol complex last week.

State, county and city officials were on hand to introduce two buses, one each from the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority and Tri-State Transit Authority.

Seven hybrid diesel-electric buses, costing $3.9 million, will be included in public transit fleets serving the Charleston and Huntington areas. Four buses will operate in the Kanawha Valley and three in Huntington. The hybrids have a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years.

The new environmentally-friendly buses were partially funded by the federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) and stimulus funds through a cooperative effort of the West Virginia Department of Transportation's Division of Public Transit, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, KRT and TTA.

"This project gave the DEP the chance to partner with state and local agencies on projects that not only reduce air pollution, but help with public access to green transportation and help lead the way to more sustainable communities," said Randy Huffman, cabinet secretary of the DEP, said in a written statement. "Cleaner public transit vehicles help to not only improve air quality, they also use less fuel and help lead to more energy independence."

KRT General Manager Dennis Dawson said his agency "is very excited to the get the new hybrid buses into service in the Kanawha Valley as part of an ongoing effort to include the most environmentally friendly, operationally acceptable and efficient public transit vehicles into the Authority's fleet of buses."

Manufactured by Gillig Corp., of Hayward, Calif., West Virginia's hybrid diesel-electric buses feature both a combustion engine, powered by diesel fuel, and an electric motor. Both power sources have direct, independent connections to the transmission. The combustion engine provides power at high, constant speeds, while the electric motor is the source of power during stops and low speeds.

A regenerative braking system recovers energy normally lost as heat during braking and stores it in batteries for use by the electric motor.

The buses' green features include improved air quality through lower emissions and better energy savings through reduced fuel use. The hybrid design also allows for reductions in transmission and brake maintenance.

TTA's standard diesel-powered bus, for example, requires brake maintenance about every 20,000 miles, said Paul Davis, TTA's general manager. The hybrid diesel-electric model can go close to 100,000 miles before new brakes are needed, Davis said.

In terms of fuel efficiency, Davis said his buses now get close to five miles to the gallon. The new hybrid version could get close to nine miles to the gallon. Hybrids are also smoother, provide quicker acceleration and create less engine noise.

"This is a great opportunity for TTA to go green," Davis said. "And this partnership with the DEP really came along at the most opportune time for us. We had new buses coming in and this was the perfect opportunity for us to upgrade to something environmentally friendly."

New York City currently has the largest fleet of hybrid diesel transit buses at close to 1,700. In a recent review of New York's buses, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab found the diesel hybrids were 22 percent more fuel efficient than conventional buses.

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The West Virginia Department of Transportation has given two hybrid buses to local transit authorities to reduce carbon emissions.

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