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As a consequence of the initial high cost of manufacturing our traction systems, it was decided to concentrate on potential uses by which both a significant ecologic as well as economic benefit can be obtained. The cost of our traction system, as a percentage of the total cost of the vehicle was another consideration for choosing public transit as our initial target market. Whether included in a newly designed or retrofitted bus, the economic of the e-Traction® System benefits should quickly produce a very positive result - while the ecological benefits are immediate and immeasurable. A typical European city bus gets roughly 2 kilometers per liter (KML) and in North America the average hovers around 3.5 miles per gallon (MPG). In the Netherlands, these public transit buses annually drive on average 90,000 kilometers (or 56,250 miles) and use around 45,000 liters of diesel fuel (see Fuel Consumption Calculator). An identical bus powered by the e-Traction® System will use only one third of the fuel (15,000 liters) and thus reduces harmful emissions minimally by 66.7%. This drop in CO2 emission amounts to an astounding 79.4 metric tons per year for each e-Traction® powered bus (see Fuel Savings in Perspective) while preserving the same functionality. The lower operational expense and the enormous environmental benefits will therefore make the cost of the traction system seem insignificant (see Operational Efficiency). At this time three buses have been converted with the e-Traction® System. The first bus, "the Whisper™", after the successful conclusion its tests has, during the winter of 2004/2005 been converted to become de facto the third example, now merely called Whisper™. The e-Traction® Bus is a one of a kind bus, using a special composite monocoque design originally developed for the city of Rotterdam by the now defunct company Fokker, and is being used since the Summer of 2004 to test many of the innovations that have been incorporated into the current configuration of the Whisper™.
TNO, a leading Dutch research institute, certifies fuel consumption of e-Traction® Bus (click on TNO logo to view certificate in the "News" section). |
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