Lyon, 12 April 2011
At the 59th UITP World Congress and Mobility & City Transport Exhibition in Dubai, Iveco Irisbus CEO, Pierre Fleck, stated in a press conference that the Citelis Hybrid standard and articulated buses have made a very promising start.
True to its vocation as an innovative manufacturer, and in order to meet the ever increasing requirements for vehicles with a greater respect for natural resources and the environment, Iveco Irisbus is promoting its new Citelis "series" Hybrid models - a new generation of energy efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles perfectly in harmony with passenger transport needs for the future.
Developed thanks to a partnership agreement with BAE Systems for the supply of components relating to the drive train, the Iveco Irisbus hybrid technology combines a downsized FPT Industrial Tector 6 litre EEV diesel engine and an electric traction motor/generator providing regenerative braking and a Stop & Start function.
In Lyon, the first fuel consumption tests were carried out under commercial conditions, i.e. stopping at bus stops while running with the weight effect of fifty passengers aboard. The 12m hybrid Citelis was followed - for comparison - by a conventional Diesel powered Citelis provided by Sytral and Keolis Lyon. The hybrid vehicle fuel consumption gain was particularly significant, reduced by 39%, compared to the base line Diesel powered version achieved under non-hilly city conditions at an average speed of 11.5 km/h, while the gain amounted to 33% on a hilly city service at an average speed of 12.8 km/h and was reduced by 29% on an intercity service at an average speed of 24 km/h.
A similar test was carried out with a Citelis Hybrid articulated bus. The results were also highly positive with a 30% fuel saving on the non-hilly city route, compared with the base line Diesel model, at an average speed of 14 km/h.
An important point to note is that when Diesel fuel consumption is reduced by around 40%, this leads to a saving of 600 g of carbon dioxide per kilometre. Therefore, for a mission amounting to 50,000 km per year (typical for a city bus), the carbon dioxide emissions savings amount to 30 t per vehicle.
Furthermore, Iveco Irisbus has successfully carried out SORT tests (Standardised On-Road Test Cycles) with the German TÜV Süd certification authority confirming the test results achieved in Lyon. SORT results are an important requirement in tender offers throughout Europe.
In summary, the hybrid version of the Iveco Irisbus Citelis bus has strong features that make this product undoubtedly appealing and capable of meeting the new expectations of urban networks and transport authorities and companies.