Airport Going Green with Hybrid Buses

The Charlotte Business Journal reports that Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is buying two hybrid-powered buses for $880,000. The N.C. State Clean Fuel and Advanced Technology Project has given the airport a $40,000 grant to support the purchase.

The 35-passenger hybrids cost about $440,000 each, nearly twice the $230,000 price of a standard, 26-passenger bus. The gas-electric hybrids will get 6 to10mpg while standard buses get about 3 to 4mpg. The N.C. Solar Center at N.C. State, which awarded the grant, says the hybrid buses will reduce fuel consumption by about 10,700 gallons per year.

The airport uses such buses to carry passengers and employees to and from parking areas and other locations.