NAVC Projects

Featured Projects | All Projects

Since 1993, the NAVC's participants have initiated over 70 projects, spanning a wide range of technology areas...

...and vehicle platforms

In all, the NAVC has successfully managed over $60 million of advanced vehicle R & D projects over the past ten years.

In addition to developing and managing technology development and demonstration projects, the NAVC also publishes reports, manages industry-government workgroups, and takes the lead another projects designed to test and verify clean fuel vehicle technology or address potential barriers to their successful commercialization.

The following highlights some key projects carried out by NAVC partners or the NAVC itself...

(The complete list of all NAVC projects can be found here.)

U.S. Fuel Cell Bus Working Group

Since 2002, the NAVC has managed the U.S. Fuel Cell Bus Working Group on behalf of the US Department of Transportation. While this group focuses on fuel cells, not hybrids, the Work Group includes transit operators with a general interest in implementing clean fuel bus technologies, electric drive integrators, bus manufacturers and others relevant to the hybrid bus world. This work strengthens the NAVC's relationships with transit agencies, bus manufacturers and advanced technology suppliers and gives the NAVC additional insight into the kinds of operational issues that concern transit operators as they switch to cleaner, advanced technology buses.

Development of "Ruggedized" Transit Bus Fuel Cell Powerplant

The NAVC is a partner in UTC Fuel Cells' program to develop a new, ruggedized fuel cell powerplant for transit buses. UTC, the largest fuel cell developer in the United States, is developing fuel cells for four transit buses to be deployed in California in 2004 and 2005. These buses will be placed in real-world service with an extensive data collection program.

More on the NAVC's fuel cell work here.

Composite Hybrid Bus Development

Through an NAVC project, TPI Composites developed a lightweight, low-floor, fuel-efficient transit bus using an all-composite body and hybrid-electric drivetrain. Solectria developed the hybrid-drive system using compressed natural gas; NAVC also assisted TPI in exploring all currently-available hybrid-electric systems before Solectria was chosen as the supplier. This bus technology was purchased by North American Bus Industries, which is planning to develop diesel buses utilizing this lightweight bus body.

Northeast Clean Bus Project

In 1994, the NAVC launched the Northeast Clean Bus Committee, bringing together key stakeholders in the effort to implement clean, alternative fuel, advanced technology buses in the Northeastern U.S. The committee developed in response to increasing interest from Northeast transit operators, and other stakeholders such as state government environmental regulators, and environmental non profits, in cleaner transit options that would improve air quality. Fuel cells, hybrids, CNG, biodiesel, and advanced catalytic converters were just being introduced by manufacturers, and there was no centralized source of information where all the stakeholders could hear the same information at the same time so that realistic expectations of future implementation could be made with sufficient information. The NAVC invited metropolitan transit authorities, bus suppliers, city and state environmental agencies, the Federal Transit Agency and electric and gas utilities, and non-profit environmental groups to meet in order to learn about alternative fuel bus technologies and exchange information on putting the buses into service. The Committee held a series of meetings from 1994 through 1998, with each meeting focused on a different technology: natural gas, battery-powered electric, hybrid electric, fuel cell and biodiesel. These meetings became the basis for future pilot projects.

More on the NAVC's hybrid work here.