[Scorcher]

The iconic double-deckers have won over the bendies and other buses as London's new mass transport. But the good old d-d's are now a lot more cleverer and more eco-friendly and even stylish that you ever thought it would be.

The complete review of the All-New Hybrid London Double-Decker - New Bus for London driven - Autocar.co.uk

[binaiks]

Wow! This bus really looks good, except for those headlamps. They are looking like shirt buttons :(

Wonder when we'd see one like this in India. May be BMTC would bring them, given the way they pioneer in introducing new models.

[Rudra Sen]

Looks sharp and very well executed. Nice change from typical double-Decker.

Originally Posted by binaiks

except for those headlamps. They are looking like shirt buttons :(

You never know. They could be with daylight running light also. London surely needs that at times.

[suhaas307]

That's a great looking Double-Decker.

I've always been fascinated by buses, ever since I was a child. These buses bring back some of those memories of me sitting on my bed and pretending to drive a Double-Decker through Bangalore roads.

The London Public Transport emblem suspiciously look like Nissan logos. And those telephone-dial lights look crazy too! I like the way the windows wrap around the bus. And the hybrid tech should help with emissions as well!

I wonder if BMTC will consider bringing back the Double-Deckers. It should help solve the bus crisis we seem to have on our roads.

[vivekkp]

It sure looks like an LED lighting system used for the headlamp. I particularly liked the rear design. Looks much better. I doubt BMTC will introduce them on our roads where infrastructure is at a premium.

[extreme_torque]

The bus comes with a 4.5 liter turbocharged Cummins engine which provides the current to charge the 75kWH motor and the batteries which in turn power the bus. Isnt this whole thing more in-efficient than say just a diesel engine powered bus? I mean we are dealing with two losses here - diesel engine generating electricity and the electricity then being used to power the batteries and the electric motor which will have its own set of losses.

[revintup]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

The bus comes with a 4.5 liter turbocharged Cummins engine which provides the current to charge the 75kWH motor and the batteries which in turn power the bus. Isnt this whole thing more in-efficient than say just a diesel engine powered bus? I mean we are dealing with two losses here - diesel engine generating electricity and the electricity then being used to power the batteries and the electric motor which will have its own set of losses.

You are right about losses but are you sure this is how it works? Usually in hybrids, both the gas engine and battery powered electric engine work in tandem to provide for power, in smooth cruises just the battery and so on. The kinetic energy on braking gets stored in battery and hence the loss is minimised. Thats the whole point of getting a hybrid. its much complex to be explained in a few words.

[vivekkp]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

The bus comes with a 4.5 liter turbocharged Cummins engine which provides the current to charge the 75kWH motor and the batteries which in turn power the bus. Isnt this whole thing more in-efficient than say just a diesel engine powered bus? I mean we are dealing with two losses here - diesel engine generating electricity and the electricity then being used to power the batteries and the electric motor which will have its own set of losses.

As you can see this is a series hybrid design. Here only the electric motor drives the vehicle. the diesel engine is only used to power the battery pack or in other words your engine rpm is independent of transmission system. This gives very good fuel economy and believe me designing a hybrid is very tough.

[Ashley2]

Who is the manufacturer of this bus?

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by revintup

You are right about losses but are you sure this is how it works? Usually in hybrids, both the gas engine and battery powered electric engine work in tandem to provide for power, in smooth cruises just the battery and so on. The kinetic energy on braking gets stored in battery and hence the loss is minimised. Thats the whole point of getting a hybrid. its much complex to be explained in a few words.

Yes thats how it works or atleast that what the autocar article says. The engine is there as a generator only. Propulsion comes from the electric motor.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

The bus comes with a 4.5 liter turbocharged Cummins engine which provides the current to charge the 75kWH motor and the batteries which in turn power the bus. Isnt this whole thing more in-efficient than say just a diesel engine powered bus? I mean we are dealing with two losses here - diesel engine generating electricity and the electricity then being used to power the batteries and the electric motor which will have its own set of losses.

As much I have read, the concept is similar to diesel electric locomotives used by the railways - the engine is merely a generator and it powers electric motors that drive the wheels. In case of rail engines, power output is huge so the clutch based transmission may not be able to put that power to the wheels... So even in this case, if there is no transmission, then that much losses are reduced. Also, this way the engine can run in optimum (narrow) rpm band thereby reducing losses further...

So if I understand correctly, this bus is similar to diesel electric loco, except that it has battery pack so the electricity can be stored as well while not being fully used. Am I correct?

[libranof1987]

Quite decent-looking buses.

But seriously, what's with the headlights?! The oval LED setup looks hideous.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I've always been fascinated by buses, ever since I was a child. These buses bring back some of those memories of me sitting on my bed and pretending to drive a Double-Decker through Bangalore roads.

I did better. I dragged my parents almost every evening to this place in Pune - Sambhaji Park where there was decommissioned double-decker and sit on the upper deck for hours. That and of course, car racing!

I wonder if BMTC will consider bringing back the Double-Deckers. It should help solve the bus crisis we seem to have on our roads.

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Who is the manufacturer of this bus?

The article mentions "Wright".

Going by the no. of unscientific underpasses and those height barriers on so many roads in B'lore, the double-decker will have issues plying on the roads. Add to that, the Volvo a/c unit itself gets hit so many times by tree branches.

[hillram]

I will miss those lovely age old double decker Picadilly buses.But the new generation ones are a welcome change.Good luck to Transport for London (TFL).

[mayankjha1806]

Wow they look really cool. Commendable effort to go green, wish we in India also had adapted Hybrid as current fuel situation does not look very good. The cost is a major deterrent factor in adapting such newer cleaner, and greener technology here.

Wonder when would BMTC move to such a greener technology?

[vina]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

...

So if I understand correctly, this bus is similar to diesel electric loco, except that it has battery pack so the electricity can be stored as well while not being fully used. Am I correct?

You are right, but then reason this hybrid has not clutch is not that the clutch can't handle the power - the diesel generator in the bus will run at a constant highly optimised RPM (unlike in non-hybrid motor vehicles, engine doesn't drive the wheels, so its RPM can be whatever you choose) - and that in itself will improve efficiency a lot.