At a recent Third Thursday Webinar presented by the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), Collins Bus Vice President John Doswell discussed the ins and outs of the new NEXBUS, its propane-powered Type A school bus. The fully redesigned buses rolled off the assembly line in April, and 200 to 250 units have already shipped, according to Doswell.
Marketed under the Collins, Mid Bus and Corbeil brands, the NEXBUS is available in a propane autogas or hybrid-electric version, with a CNG version coming soon thanks to its partner, BAF.
Doswell said the propane market is expanding in key areas such as California, Washington, Oregon, Texas and New York.
“This summer we’re delivering well over 100 units to Washington (Seattle Public Schools) and Oregon (Portland Public Schools) combined, and a bunch more into Texas,” he said. “So we’re very optimistic about the growth of this market.”
Prior to this year, Collins would purchase propane conversion kits from CleanFuel USA and have them upfitted on a gas chassis, Doswell explained. Now, they no longer manage these installs locally but rely on General Motors, which has partnered with Knapheide, to deliver complete propane units.
“Four years ago we started that relationship (with CleanFuel). Our choice of a partner in the propane side of things has certainly been validated by GM’s selection of CleanFuel as their partner, and this system as the system of choice for them,” Doswell continued, pointing out that the downside of this arrangement is that other school bus makers now have access to the same chassis. “We’re still very happy and very excited about the growth of propane in the school bus market.”
He is eager to describe the “significant upgrades” in the new NEXBUS enhancing its structural integrity, electrical system and overall safety.
“In this design, we had an opportunity to make a leap in the structural integrity in several areas above and beyond the requirements of FMVSS standards,” he said. “We felt like there were some materials out there that could improve on (the roof bow), so now we’re building it with a high-strength, low-alloy tubular frame piece that is significantly stronger.”
The upgraded electrical system has a cleaner look and is much easier to access during maintenance, he continued. Another improvement is the new Safeguard XChange seating by IMMI that comes standard on all Collins school buses.
“The neat thing about the Safeguard seating system is that these seats can be interchanged. Take the back panel out of regular lap seat, and you can replace it with a three-point seatbelt system or you can put in an integrated child restraint seat,” Doswell said.
In addition, the NEXBUS tank has a capacity of 37 gallons, for an estimated 350-mile range, which is a big issue for schools when using the buses outside of the normal pickup from home and delivery to school, he noted. Customers always ask about the availability of refueling stations as well.
“The growth in that arena means more and more refueling options for field trips,” he said. “So that’s becoming less of an obstacle to acceptance.”
If funding is an obstacle for fleet managers interested in going propane, Doswell recommends they tap into Department of Energy grants that provide a $10,000 per bus buy-down. Since the up-charge of a propane school bus is roughly $13,000 higher than a diesel bus, this buy-down can reduce the price of a new propane bus to about $3,000, he explained.
“So it really makes sense to get on board and convert a small fleet into propane-powered school buses if you can actually save money on the initial acquisition,” Doswell said. “We’ll be glad to help you out.”
