North Carolina: Out with Thomas and in with Blue Bird?

By Ryan Gray

Though a final decision is pending, North Carolina appears to be set to award its 2010 bus bid to Blue Bird, marking an about face from a historic alliance with Thomas Built Buses. Not only is Thomas an in-state company but the way North Carolina's school bus specs were written called for items that Thomas was in the best position to provide, according to industry sources and Internet message boards.

North Carolina amended its bus specs in early September to make them more general to all three large bus manufacturers, with IC Bus rounding out that list. Thomas Built's president, John O'Leary, told local reporters this week that the development won't hurt the company's bottom line as 95 percent of bus sales occur out of state, anyway. As he told the local FOX News affiliate:

"We could've gone, ultimately, as low as Bluebird went. It would've been very irresponsible from our standpoint ... It's just getting down in the mud and wrestling around in that zero-profit game is not where we want to be."

Low bids are commonplace in the school bus industry, as schools nationwide must remain on constant watch to make sure they stay within if not under budget, especially in the current environment of no less than 48 states running deficits. But this represents an interesting turn of events, especially in light of published reports of struggles at Blue Bird's parent company Cerberus, which saw about half of its investors walk over the summer amid concerns over the company's position in the current marketplace and the decision to embrace a new hedge fund. Those that balked and walked reportedly took with them about $4 billion.

Blue Bird reps have said the company remains strong, but obviously the company seriously underbid its buses in comparison to what Thomas was able to offer for its C2 Saf-T-Liners. And the result is a backlash in North Carolina, where residents view the decision to contract with a Georgia-based company as a heretical move when state unemployment rates are hovering around 10.7 percent, one of the worst in the country. The local North Carolina FOX affiliate also reported that some Thomas workers were wondering aloud why the state doesn't require school systems to buy from in-state companies, since profits at North Carolina companies help keep workers employed. O'Leary said he understands that thinking, but points out he wouldn't want Georgia or Illinois to do the same thing. Plus, something that is not mentioned, Thomas uses many third-party suppliers for such things as mirrors that are manufactured out of state. So why should the actual bus be any different?

Proof in point that today's economy is making an already ultra-competitive school bus marketplace much more stiff.

Freightliner to Embark on Road Toward All-Electric Vehicles

While school buses are seemingly not part of the discussion — yet, anyay — Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, a subsidiary of Daimler and the provider of chassis for Thomas Built Buses, has inked a letter of intent with Enova Systems to meet the demand for all-electric commercial vehicles.

Using Enova’s 120kw and 90kw all-electric drive system (as opposed to the 25/80kw drive utilizes by IC Bus in its CE plug-in and regular hybrid school buses), Freightliner appears to be going after the UPS and FedEx parcel truck market, at least initially, as a press release on Enova’s Web site mentioned vehicles “including” the MT-45 walk-in chassis will be targeted. Those chassis have gross vehicle weight rating between 14,140 and 19,000 pounds and maximum payloads of 10,000 pounds

Thomas Built buses are generally built on the FB-45 commercial bus chassis for the Saf-T-Liner C2 and the MB-55 “Heavy Duty” Bus Chassis for the Saf-T-Liner EF and HDE Type D models. But the important piece of this news is simply that Freightliner is jumping both feet into the all-electric market. And it’s interesting that the press release is worded in a way that indicates other chassis might receive, either now or in the future, and electric drive. Does that include Thomas school buses?

Cost, of course, is a consideration as international corporations like UPS and FedEx can shoulder them, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth, for electric trucks much easier than schools can. Nevermind that all-electric buses, some say, are currently a bit cheaper than their hybrid cousins. But there are also the issues of electric offering the driving range needed by many school buses, especially those operating in rural areas and the reliability of batteries currently on the market. But the deal signals that federal investment in electric vehicles for R&D might be showing dividends. And in Thomas' case, it should be noted that VP of Engineering Herbert Mehnert used to run the hybrid program at Freightliner Custom Chassis.

Time will tell.

DIY: Build Your Own Plug-in Hybrid?

It might not give step-by-step instructions for retrofitting your school bus, but a new book purports to tell readers how they, too, can create their own plug-in hybrid electric vehicle like the like the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid or the 2010 Toyota Prius.

Perhaps those especially savvy readers can even hold onto the hope that they might eventually be eligible for the next round of federal grants for electric battery and hybrid drive train development. Well, OK, probably not, especially as GreenCarReports.com editor John Voelker gives it less than a stellar review of Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle.

First of all, the book says it can help owners of hybrid vehicles convert them to PHEVs. The author is Seth Leitman, who last year coauthored an updated version of the classic Build Your Own Electric Vehicle. Voelker writes that the book is:

"...comprehensive but slightly disappointing. In part, that's because book publishing takes way too much time. The field of PHEVs is evolving so fast that you can only find truly up-to-date information online.

In particular, the book's list of conversion kits, sources, and background is now several months old. That's a lifetime for a technology whose members exchange information and collaborate to solve technical problems in online forums (eaa-phev is just one of many)."

The commercially-available hybrid diesel school bus currently on the market are from IC Bus, and Thomas Built Buses. IC Bus has both an PHEV and HEV, while Thomas has the latter. If this book review doesn't detract you, and you're the competitive entrepreneurial type, the book can be found on Amazon or in bookstores like Barnes & Noble.

UPDATE: A previous post made it sound like Thomas Built Buses was the only manufacturer with a hybrid school bus available to the market. We didn't mention IC Bus and its own plug-in and regular hybrid-electric models, which has been available the longest, since 2006, and currently has about few hundred in service nationwide. We regret the oversight, a big one.

Thomas Built Buses Dealers Gets in on Tech Competition Craze

We saw this story on a recent in-house competition for heavy-duty truck technicians held at Empire Truck Sales in Slidell, La. In addition to Thomas buses, the Jackson, Miss.-based dealership also specializes in heavy-duty trucks by Freightliner, Western Star and Sterling, as well as American LaFrance emergency vehicle.

The event held on July 25 calls to mind NAPT's annual America's Best School Bus Inspector & School Bus Inspector Training & Skills Competition, this year scheduled for Sept. 22-25 in Greenville, S.C., at Michelin.

The 'New GM' Out of Bankruptcy, Still Committed to School Bus Market

As the industry has been closely watching the demise of GM, there seems to be some good news coming out of Detroit: the automaker is remaining dedicated to its small school bus business as it was emerging bankruptcy sooner than expected. A company spokesman recently told STN that the commitment to manufacturing chassis for the school bus market has not changed [Look for this article in the August STN issue].

Going forward, the big purchasers of GM cutaway chassis on the Chevy Express and GMC Savana platforms are Girardin Minibus and Trans-Tech. Thomas Built Buses also uses some GM. But in filing for bankruptcy, GM was separated from Opel, the German manufacturer responsible for much of GM's diesel expertise dating back to 1929. What could that mean for the diesel business?

Competition is stiff elsewhere, too. As GM's works hard to keep its head above water, the sharks are circling. That's not necessarily in the best interest of the taxpayers, which now effectively own GM, but it could be an impetus to truly a "New GM," as the company is now calling itself.

Speaking of competition, Collins Bus Corporation announced earlier this spring that it is developing a Ford gasoline-hybrid, as the automaker has slowly but surely been leaving the diesel market. Collins Bus as well as its line of Mid Bus and Corbeil products, have also traditionally built bodies on GM chassis, so it will be interesting to see how the recent deal with Azure Dynamics to develop the gasoline hybrid drive train for Ford will play out. Then there's potential Type A chassis production capabilities at Daimler Truck/Freightliner for Thomas and Navistar for its IC Bus line.

Meanwhile, Girardin Minibus is publicly, at least, reaffirming its relationship with GM because the auto manufacturer is staying true to diesel engine technology, at least in theory. As reported in the July issue of STN, Girardin said it is eyeing a GM diesel-hybrid to compete with Collins' gas-hybrid, the latter expected to be unveiled this summer. GM retained it's two-mode diesel hybrid technology originally slated for the Saturn VUE. This same technology could fuel GM's SUV business, which could in turn have strong implications for the school bus industry.

What to do when diesel engine cranks but does not start

This week, John Whelan posts on what to do when your bus cranks, but does not start.

...the first thing you want to look at is the power feed to the engine controls. In this case it's a Mercedes mbe 900 diesel engine in a Thomas C2 school bus. The first check is the fuse block since this powers up the ignition relays that operate the engine control modules.

Follow the link for a full description and photos. As always, thanks, John.

The Mystery of 2010: SCR vs. EGR

This week, both Thomas and IC Bus offer takes on the 2010 emissions regulations coming. In a story that appears elsewhere IC's marketing director argues its EGR solution is better because it's "less hassle"

Looking at both options, we can conclude that even if SCR improves fuel economy and if urea costs come down at some point, then the additional costs of training service techs, storing and purchasing replacement parts for the urea system, and adding a urea infrastructure to your business will add unfamiliarity and costs that are not good for your bottom line.

Thomas Built Buses counters with a Web site about its SCR solution. The company breaks the choice down to a top ten list:

1. Best fuel efficiency
2. Proven technology in Europe
3. EPA recommended and approved
4. Higher engine power density
5. No increased heat rejection, allowing for more efficient combustion
6. Lower cost of total ownership
7. Reliable
8. Durable
9. Easy to service
10.Environmentally friendly

Take a look at both sites for yourself. Let us know what you think. What questions do you still have about SCR and EGR? Let us know and we'll see if we can get them answered for you. Are you ready to make a switch? Have you already committed?

Sharp Eye? Help a Fellow School Bus Mechanic/Blogger

School mechanic and blogger John Wheelan turns to readers this week for advice. He's just removed the front end of a Thomas HDX Pusher because the bus wanders when the brakes are applied. But he can't figure out what's going on. Check out his blog for more details and see if you can offer some advice. FYI: It's not the brakes. He already tested that.

Take a Seat: M2K, Takata Buy SynTec Seating Solutions

The exclusive seat provider to Thomas Built Buses is now formally known as Syntec Seating Solutions LLC, following a joint acquisition by M2K Seating Solutions LLC and TK Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Takata. Company owner Ron Lampartner says, " “We intend to be a major seat supplier to entire industry ... Whatever any OEM might possibly want in seating, we are going to be in a position to give it to them.” Read the whole article