Ford has paired with Georgia Institute of Technology to build the nation’s first biofuel school bus that was once a simple, traditional bus. The conversion is to a hydraulic hybrid that will run on recycled biofuel and is designed to recover lost braking energy. The ultimate goal of the bus is to lower greenhouse gases and reduce transportation costs for schools.
Ford financed the $50,000 for the project via the Ford College Community Challenge Grant that allows Georgia Tech students to build the bus. Assistant professor of mechanical engineering, Michael Leamy and his students are behind the installation and word on the street is that they are almost complete. “Together with Georgia Tech and Atlanta Public Schools, we are taking innovation from the classroom to the community,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. This project brings together an entire community and allows young minds to learn and even gives us potential answers to the problem of alternative fuel sources. It is also just another way that automobile manufactures can reach out to help outside of the industry.
