Anchorage Daily News

It looks like a school bus.

But it's snow-white. A bright yellow electric outlet is positioned near the front passenger door.

Its engine purrs quietly.

And best of all, it doesn't belch out all the usual smelly, polluting exhaust.

The first electric-diesel hybrid bus in Alaska began prowling the University of Alaska Anchorage campus a few days ago.

UAA officials are giving it a trial run this winter to evaluate the potential use of hybrid technology for their fleet. The experiment is part of the university's effort to "green" its campus, they said.

The bus runs from student housing to central campus and back. About 700 to 800 students will use it per day.

A local bus dealership, Cascadia International, is lending the bus -- built by Illinois-based IC Bus Corp. -- as a free demo for potential customers.

UAA isn't the only one scrutinizing the plug-in bus. The Anchorage School District also is curious about it.

TRIAL RUN

The hybrid bus had its first trial run at Denali National Park this summer with mixed results.

The bus was built to provide a 35- to 45-percent increase in fuel economy and a 90-percent reduction in emissions. But Denali tour operators weren't able to squeeze out much fuel savings.

That's probably because the sort of battery used in this vehicle isn't ideal for the long-distance Denali trips, according to Cascadia.

Two types of batteries are available for hybrid vehicles. The battery in this bus doesn't recharge throughout the day like the "charge sustaining" battery used in the Toyota Prius and other hybrid vehicles.

Cascadia would have preferred that type of battery, but it wasn't available, according to statewide sales representative Matt Gerber.

The imperfect experience at Denali hasn't deflated the national park's overall interest in going hybrid. If the technology keeps improving over the next few years, Denali might require the use of hybrid buses in its next contract with tour operators in 2013, said Elwood Lynn, the park's assistant superintendent for operators.

It's not just fuel savings and emission reductions that make a hybrid bus attractive at Denali, he said. The reduced noise of a hybrid vehicle would make for better wildlife viewing.

NOT CHEAP

In Anchorage, UAA is trying out the bus for free until February, attempting to get a sense of its electric battery life and the fuel savings.

Hybrid buses like this one are looking more economical these days because their price tags have decreased and diesel prices have increased, said Chris Mizelle, the university's facilities maintenance director.

The university is interested in being on the cutting edge of green technology, he said.

Still, these buses are expensive. Priced at just more than $200,000, this bus costs twice as much as a comparable full-diesel model.

The high cost, the relatively low fuel savings -- adding just two miles more to the gallon -- and other factors are keeping the Anchorage School District on the sidelines for now.

A school district official said he doesn't believe this sort of hybrid bus would be cost-effective for the district's regular bus routes in the near future.

But that doesn't mean the district isn't interested in hybrid technology.

The district is going to keep in touch with UAA to find out how the IC Bus works on campus, said Steve Kalmes, the district's director of transportation services.

The most likely scenario?

The school district might consider going hybrid with its small fleet of handicap shuttles, which spend a lot of time idling and burning fuel, he said.

Find Elizabeth Bluemink online at adn.com/contact/ebluemink or call 257-4317.

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