That holds especially true for hybrid technology. In theory, the idea of integrating electric power with an internal combustion engine is brilliant; one that, if adopted widely, may over time significantly decrease dependence on fossil fuels. So why aren't more bus fleets incorporating the technology? For the same reason that most Americans don't drive hybrid cars: They cost too much. Moreover, according to industry analysts, unless hybrid manufacturing costs decrease, fuel costs increase or both, the promise of this brilliant idea will not be fulfilled.

For more than a quarter of a century, EMP (Escanaba, MI) has made millions of complex diesel engine components for the world's premier heavy truck manufacturers, and thus knows a little something about the challenges that confront would-be customers for hybrid public transit buses. Executive Vice President David Allen jokingly likens those obstacles to the weather, saying, "Everybody talks about 'green' technology, but it's a real challenge to do anything about it."

Allen and a growing number of operators of diesel-powered trucking fleets, equipment integrators and transit authorities strongly believe that affordability is the missing link to widespread acceptance of hybrid technology.

They're acting on that belief by incorporating comparatively inexpensive retrofits in their legacy vehicles, reaping the fuel- and planet-saving benefits of electric/diesel power now while bypassing the often insurmountable capital expense of replacing an entire fleet.

In the process, EMP has engineered a product that also just happens to virtually eliminate one of the primary causes of bus fires-- hydraulic oil leaks.

EMP's latest product, the TK Series (for "Thermal Kit") applies an engineering concept that is so simple, many wonder why it hasn't been thought of before: Excessive engine heat can impair fuel efficiency, decreases horsepower and ultimately lead to higher maintenance costs. Remove the excessive heat and improve all of the above. Easy enough. But on a short-haul transit bus, it's easier said than done, at least by conventional OEM means.

Bus engines, like all diesel engines, utilize charge air cooler, radiator and a hydraulic fan to control engine temperature. Under high engine loads-- the kind of loads to which full buses all over congested urban America are routinely exposed-- engine temperatures soar and fuel economy plummets.

Highly efficient commercial grade electric fans and alternators were never available in the marketplace until today; EMP's TK unit directs cool air from an array of robust electrically powered, individually controlled fans, reducing the frequency of operation of the standard engine's horsepower-sucking hydraulically driven fan.

The TK also minimizes or eliminates the need for the bus engine's electronic control module (ECM) to cut back on fuel delivery and power, a program built into the standard engine's ECM to preserve the engine when it's under stress, and features a "curbside quiet" mode to significantly reduce decibel level noise.

The TK Series fans are known as "Commercial Grade," incorporating brushless motors that operate on 12-volt or 24-volt power. These robust fans are fully reversible -- a valuable, maintenance-saving feature for buses that are often operating in high-debris environments.

The number of cooling fans in the array, like the system itself, is entirely customizable to suit customer requirements.

All TK Series systems include a temperature sensor, high-performance heat exchanger and a sophisticated electronic control module that seamlessly integrates with existing engine controls. For ease of retrofitting, once designed for a specific bus application, the entire thermal management kit is produced in modular, compact form. Installation can occur during routine maintenance or overhaul, takes only hours to complete and is fully supported by EMP.

Full-blown hybrid technology that most bus operators can afford could be years away. But EMP's TK Series might just deliver the fuel savings and reduced maintenance costs that fleet managers and their chief financial officers want right now, along with a measure of increased safety that every rider will appreciate.

EMP is a world leader in the development and manufacturing of diesel engine thermal and oil management technologies. Based in Escanaba, Michigan, EMP products are used by every major diesel engine manufacturer. For more information on this and other EMP products, please visit www.emp-corp.com.

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