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Press Release: National Renewable Energy Laboratory Partners With Zonar Systems
Collaboration helping to turn yellow school buses green
SEATTLE, WA – July 22, 2010 – Zonar and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have announced a collaborative effort to obtain and use school bus drive cycle data to assist in the development of hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) and battery electric (BEV) school buses.
NREL is being funded by the DOE’s Vehicle Technology Program to conduct research on HEV, PHEV and BEV school buses. These advanced technology school buses are intended to produce lower tailpipe emissions and lower fuel costs for the school bus operators. These electric drive school buses also could be further refined with the appropriate batteries, and connected to the grid using bi-directional chargers, creating a potential a source of revenue to school districts when plugged in at night and during the summer. Federal and state grants and/or tax incentives could be offered to school districts and school bus contractors when these vehicles are available for purchase.
To appropriately design these school buses, knowledge of school bus usage profiles is needed. School bus driving characteristics and distance are important factors to consider when sizing an on-board battery. To validate the battery requirements for a school bus that can be operated throughout the United States, it is important to collect school bus usage profiles from as many geographic areas and environmental conditions as possible. NREL has partnered with Zonar, which can provide an excellent source of research data to facilitate the development of these “next generation green buses.” Zonar’s products have been proven to provide the necessary data to help reduce fuel consumption, reduce idle time and enhance vehicle maintenance all of which lead to a cleaner environment.
Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Broomfield, Colorado, is already participating in the study by providing NREL access to their Zonar data. David Anderson, Transportation Director, states, “We are happy to do what we can to provide a healthier future for our students by sharing our valuable data, made possible by Zonar, with a respected organization like NREL. I am glad to be able to help NREL and Zonar by using a GPS system we all love here at Adams 12 Five Star Schools.”
“Compliance, safety, efficiency, and a cleaner environment are all core to Zonar’s solutions. We encourage our customers to contact us about participating in this important NREL study. To ensure the study’s success we are offering to subsidize the additional data sampling costs for our customers who are willing to share their data with NREL,” said Don Carnahan, vice president of Business Development for Pupil Transportation at Zonar. “By investing in the environment today, we feel we are helping to improve tomorrow.”
About NREL
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.About Zonar Systems
Zonar Systems provides electronic fleet inspection, tracking and operations solutions to a full range of public and private fleets. Our unique Inspect, Track, Know approach enables fleets to realize unprecedented gains in operational efficiencies, cost savings and environmental impact. To get real Ground Traffic Control™ visit www.zonarsystems.com.Contacts:
Don Carnahan
VP of Business Development, Pupil Transportation
Zonar Systems
don.carnahan@zonarsystems.com
(206) 878-2459
Kevin Walkowicz
Senior Project Leader
NREL
kevin.walkowicz@nrel.gov
(303) 275-4492
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