Denali National Park is testing 2 new hybrid buses. The vehicles are the final prototypes to be tested by the Park Service at Denali as part of a grant funded effort to reduce pollution.
(Photo courtesy of National Park Service)
The new 14 and 32 passenger shuttles are manufactured by Colorado based Lightning Hybrids. Company spokeswoman Bonnie Trowbridge said just like hybrid electric vehicles, the buses employ a system that captures braking energy.
”It’s the same thing only we’re not using batteries,” Trowbridge said. “We’re using pressure.”
Trowbridge said the buses use braking to pressurize hydraulic fluid.
”And then when you accelerate, all that pressure is available and used to move that vehicle forward,” Trowbridge said.
Trowbridge said the diesel engine only operates above 40 miles per hour, when its most efficient. The new Denali buses are the last funded by a grant to test hybrid technology on the park road. Denali National Park commercial services specialist Andrew Gertge said 2 previously tested school bus sized hybrid electric vehicles proved less efficient, quiet and durable than hoped.
”That was expected, to be honest, but we really wanted to test that to prove just to document where the technology is now and why it’s not working,” Gertge said. “The silt, the really fine dirt on the park road just really wreaked havoc.”
Gertge said the agency has changed its focus to the smaller shuttles employing the hydraulic system, and testing on short routes along the paved front country section of the park road.
”The more the vehicle stops, the more fuel economy it has so the two buses were integrated into the Riley Creek campground loop and the Savage Loop,” Gertge said.
Regular Park buses are monochrome painted school buses, but the new shuttles feature full color wildlife imagery wrapping.
“Because it is in the era of the National Park Centennial and we have our Denali Park Centennial next year, we decided to use some remaining funds to hire an advertising agency to give some messaging to the exterior of these buses,” Gertge said.
Gertge said the hybrid bus technology has potential beyond the park as local, as mass transit options are considered along the Parks Highway between Healy and Cantwell. He also noted that Park concessioner Doyon Aramak brought 10 cleaner operating propane fired buses on line this summer.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
