The 1,000th bus powered by the GM-Allison hybrid system will be delivered here this month to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. The landmark delivery is part of a fleet order by the RTC that will double its fleet of hybrid buses from 30 to 60 operating in the Las Vegas area.

Those 1,000 GM-Allison hybrid buses, operating in more than 70 cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe, will save an estimated 1.4 million gallons of fuel annually, enough to fill 175 tanker trucks.

The milestone delivery to the RTC of Southern Nevada caps a record-setting year for the GM-Allison hybrid system :

• In 2007, more than 400 GM-Allison hybrid-powered buses were produced, with 360 units delivered to 36 cities - the highest annual totals since deliveries began in 2003.
• Seattle’s King County Metro Transit Authority awarded a landmark order in May 2007 for 500 buses, most of which will be powered by the GM-Allison hybrid system.
• The first international delivery was made in March 2007 to Dresden, Germany.

According to a study conducted in 2006 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, transit buses with GM-Allison’s hybrid technology deliver up to 75 percent better fuel economy than traditional transit buses, and reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides up to 39 percent, particulate matter up to 97 percent, carbon monoxide up to 60 percent and hydrocarbons up to 75 percent. The report was published in December 2006, and can be viewed at http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/fleettest/pdfs/40585.pdf.

Other benefits include operating sound levels approaching that of passenger cars, reduced maintenance costs resulting from extended brake, engine oil and transmission oil life, superior torque, and improved acceleration.