Wikipedia

New Flyer Invero

TheNew Flyer Invero(D40i) is a line oflow-floortransit busesthat was manufactured byNew Flyer Industriesbetween 1999 and 2007. Produced as a 40-foot (nominal) rigid bus, the Invero was typically sold with a conventionaldieselcombustion engine, although a fewdiesel-electric hybridswere built, integrated byStewart & Stevenson.New Flyer introduced the Invero in 1999 with the intent that it would replace the precedingNew Flyer Low Floorline, but few Inveros were sold, and the line was discontinued in 2007; in 2008, New Flyer introduced theXcelsior,replacing both the Low Floor and the Invero lines.

New Flyer Invero
TwoCommunity TransitNew Flyer D40i Inveros in downtownSeattle
Overview
ManufacturerNew Flyer
Production2002–2007
Body and chassis
ClassTransit bus
Powertrain
EngineCumminsISL[1]
TransmissionAllisonB400 R[1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase285 in (7.24 m)[1]
Lengthover bumpers: 41.25 ft (12.6 m)[1]
Width102 in (2.59 m)[1]
Height118.7 in (3.01 m) (diesel, over A/C)[1]
Curb weight27,600 lb (12,500 kg)[1]
Chronology
PredecessorNew Flyer Low Floor
SuccessorNew Flyer Xcelsior

Design

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Model Codes
Motive power Length Model
D= diesel
DE=diesel-electric hybrid
ForH=hydrogen fuel cell 		40= 40 feet (12 m)
60= 60 feet (18 m)articulated 		i= Invero

For example, a New Flyer D40i is a 40-foot (nominal) rigid Invero with diesel power. New Flyer never officially produced any diesel-electric hybrid Inveros, nor did they produce any articulated Inveros.

OC Transpo#4285 in profile, showing the "Beluga" elevated front roofline

Work on what would become the Invero started in 1997.[2]A prototype Invero was first shown at the October 1999APTAtrade show inOrlando, Florida.Apart from the more streamlined exterior, other improvements over the existing Low Floor models included larger windows, improved heating, more seats, easier maintenance, and the use of composite materials to reduce weight. The driver's windshield has been shaped to reduce glare.[3]The air conditioning unit has been moved to the front roof of the bus to allow for additional passenger seats in the rear of the bus.[4]The resulting elevated front roofline has led some operators to affectionately dub the Inveros the "Beluga" bus, after theBeluga whale.[5][6]

Financial difficulties delayed the development of the production Invero. New Flyer essentially was unable to sell buses for 18 months until late 2002 while the company was undergoing cash flow issues.[7]New Flyer had a contract to provide 10 Inveros for evaluation to the city of Winnipeg in 2000 as part of a larger contract for 82 replacement buses; the 10 Inveros would be delivered as part of the initial batch of 30 buses and would undergo a long-term test to determine if the remaining 52 should be ordered as Inveros, to be delivered in 2001 and 2002. However, the evaluation Inveros would not have been ready before late summer 2002, and Winnipeg negotiated a settlement to receive conventional D40LF models instead.[8]

Hybrids

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New Flyer/S&S/GM Hybrid DE40i,RFTA#602

In 2003, New Flyer publicized the sales win for a plannedarticulated bushybrid Invero variant, designated DE60i, by displaying the image on its home page.[9]The hybrid Invero variant was scheduled to enter service in August 2006.[10]Four Inveros were converted to diesel-electric hybridpropulsion byStewart & Stevensonfor theRoaring Fork Transportation Authorityand delivered in November 2005; New Flyer was unwilling to perform the engineering required to integrate the hybrid drivetrain (manufactured by GM Allison) for the small order. The cost of each hybrid bus wasUS$585,000(equivalent to $913,000 in 2023), compared toUS$350,000(equivalent to $546,000 in 2023) for the conventional D40i.[6][11]

Fuel cell

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Ahydrogen fuel cellInvero was demonstrated in Winnipeg during the summer of 2006. The fuel cell Invero was integrated byHydrogenicsusing their HyPM 65 fuel cell power modules; in-wheel electric motors from Siemens, installed byISE Corporation;ultra-capacitors fromMaxwell Technologies;and roof-mounted hydrogen storage tanks from Dynetek Industries of Calgary. The system had a continuous rated output of 180 kW (240 hp) with a peak output of 350 kW (470 hp) and a range of approximately 6 to 8 hours. Refueling for the demonstration was performed atRed River College.[12]Development of the fuel cell Invero had started in late 2002, and was largely supported byNatural Resources Canada,which contributedCA$3,000,000(equivalent to $4,400,000 in 2023) for the project.[13]

Deployment

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The first New Flyer Invero D40i was completed at theSt. Cloudplant on May 7, 2002, and was the first of six ordered for theSt. Catharines TransitAuthority.[2]The Invero also entered revenue service forBurlington Transitby 2003.[14]The first United States transit agency to order the Invero wasCommunity Transit,servingSnohomish County, Washington,nearSeattle;the first Community Transit bus rolled off the line at St. Cloud on January 11, 2005.[15]Community Transit ordered 33 buses, which entered service in mid-2005.[16]OC TranspoinOttawawas the largest customer for the Invero.[2][14]

In 2003, theLane Transit DistrictservingEugene, Oregonannounced plans to implement abus rapid transitsystem using six DE60i 60-footarticulatedInveros (then designated DE60iLF-BRT, emphasizing the low-floor design and bus rapid transit intentions), to be delivered in August 2006.[17]However, in July 2004, Lane announced they would be acquiring the Low Floor-based DE60LF-BRT (later designated DE60LFA) articulated buses instead.[18]

As of 2024, OC Transpo is the last transit agency operating Inveros. Their units are nearing the ends of their service lives, and are gradually being replaced withNova Bus LFSunits.[19]

Competing models

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References

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  1. ^abcdefg"D40i: Diesel 40' Invero™"(PDF).New Flyer Industries. September 2002. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on June 13, 2004.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  2. ^abc"What's New".New Flyer. 2002. Archived fromthe originalon October 13, 2002.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  3. ^"What's New".New Flyer. 1999. Archived fromthe originalon November 27, 1999.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  4. ^"Taking Technology to New Heights".Thermo King. Fall 2001. Archived fromthe originalon August 24, 2004.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  5. ^"Newsletter: Convention Report, Seattle in the spring"(PDF).Motor Bus Society. Summer 2014.Most CT service was provided by New Flyer D40LF's and D40LFR's, but the group was pleasantly surprised to see a New Flyer Invero enter the Center. The driver was very hositable upon layover and advised us that the Invero's are affectionately often referred to as beluga buses (yes, like the whale).
  6. ^abUrquhart, Janet (November 21, 2005)."RFTA bus supplier shutting down".Post Independent Citizen Telegram.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  7. ^Cash, Martin (September 16, 2002)."New Flyer CEO eyes rebound for bus maker".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  8. ^Report of the Standing Policy Committee on Public Works dated June 25, 2002(Report). City of Winnipeg. June 25, 2002.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  9. ^"Home Page".New Flyer Industries. 2003. Archived fromthe originalon December 19, 2003.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  10. ^Barnitt, Robb; Eudy, Leslie (August 2005).Overview of Advanced Technology Transportation, 2005 Update(PDF)(Report). National Renewable Energy Laboratory. p. 9.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  11. ^Condon, Scott (October 27, 2005)."RFTA's hybrid bus trial to rev up in November".The Aspen Times.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  12. ^"Hybrid Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration: Advanced Technology Moves Bus Forward"(PDF).Natural Resources Canada.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  13. ^Behling, Noriko Hikosaka (2013)."7: History of proton exchange membrane fuel cells and direct methanol fuel cells".Fuel Cells: Current Technology Challenges and Future Research Needs.Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 456.ISBN978-0-444-56325-5.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  14. ^ab"What's New".New Flyer. 2003. Archived fromthe originalon December 4, 2003.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  15. ^Campbell, Joey (February 1, 2005)."New Flyer delivers first Invero bus to the U.S. transit market".Metro Magazine.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  16. ^"Community Transit unveils new bus".The Enterprise.March 3, 2005.RetrievedNovember 29,2022.
  17. ^"New Flyer's Invero Offers State-of-the-Art BRT System"(Press release). PR Newswire. September 5, 2003.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  18. ^"What's New".New Flyer. 2004. Archived fromthe originalon October 12, 2004.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
  19. ^Willing, Jon (August 1, 2018)."OC Transpo not pursuing new green bus technology as hybrid program runs out of gas".Ottawa Citizen.RetrievedDecember 13,2018.
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