Ford Motor And Georgia Tech Working On 'Green Eco School Bus'

Georgia Institute of Technology is working in partnership with the Ford Motor Company Fund on the country’s first conversion of a traditional school bus to a hydraulic hybrid vehicle running on recycled biofuel.  

Ford Motor Company

The project conducted by Georgia Tech, one of the world’s premier research universities, is financed by a $50,000 Ford College Community Challenge Grant.  It is one of five given each year for a student-led project that matches university resources with an urgent community need related to sustainability.  Focusing on converting existing school buses to hydraulic hybrid, this project could reduce transportation costs for schools and lower greenhouse emissions.

Georgia Tech assistant professor of mechanical engineering, Michael Leamy and his students designed and developed the hydraulic hybrid system for the 16-passenger school bus donated by the Atlanta Public Schools (APS).  

Its installation is close to complete and students at Mary Line Elementary School are painting the “Green Eco School Bus” green.  The elementary students are also organizing a collection drive for used cooking oil for processing into biodiesel.

“Our students are eager to learn about new ways to care for the environment,” said Brian Mitchell, principal, Mary Lin Elementary. “The Green Eco School Bus turns a theoretical concept into a fun and exciting reality that stimulates their learning. 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 is a noteworthy example of the types of programs we are bringing to Atlanta as part of our new Operation Goodwill partnership with local Ford and Lincoln dealers with the goal of expanding our engagement with this community.”

Please note, we take no credit for this article. Article taken from: AutomotiveDiscovery.