Solar Power for Buses

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

A bus powered with solar energy. That gets my blood moving!

SunPods Inc., a California-based manufacturer of modular, fully integrated and tested solar power generation systems, and Bauer Intelligent Transportation, a leading provider of chauffeured green transportation, recently teamed up to create what they say is the “first solar power-assist system for buses.”

And the system was developed in less than six weeks! And the system was developed in less than six weeks! This is something to rave about and praise! What a green contribution to the planet! Tell your friends and family, colleagues, neighbors, insurance provider, dry-cleaner– tell the world. All cities should have solar-powered buses. Consider what you can do to encourage your city to invest in it!

Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!

The SunPods Sun Bus Power System™ “consists of four thin film solar panels that run the length of the bus and charge an on-board battery bank. When the bus engine is off, the batteries power the air-conditioning and wireless connectivity equipment, enabling transportation companies to effectively meet anti-idling standards without compromising passenger comfort.”

“We support the state’s strong commitment to reducing pollution. At the same time, as a transportation provider, we wanted to meet our customers’ requirements for comfort and connectivity,” stated Gary Bauer, founder and owner of Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation. “SunPods was able to make our vision a reality in less than 6 weeks. We’ve been testing the bus for the past 4 weeks and we’re impressed with the reliable performance.”

The push to create this innovative system came from a 2008 California state law. The law prohibits diesel vehicles from idling for more than 5 minutes in order to protect air quality.

The impetus and idea may have come from California, but this is a technology that could be used all around the world. Over 25 states have anti-idling laws. Bus or other transportation companies and organizations in these states could surely benefit from this technology. See a bus in your area without solar panels on top? Give the relevant people a call and let them know about this new technology.

Image Credit: mark silva via flickr under a CC license


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

Zachary Shahan has 7324 posts and counting. See all posts by Zachary Shahan