Orion VII

The Orion VII was a line of low-floor transit buses available in 30' rigid, 35' rigid, and 40' rigid lengths manufactured by Orion Bus Industries between 2001 and 2013 in three generations. The conventional powered buses, either with longitudinally-mounted diesel or natural gas engines, used a T-drive transmission coupling. A series hybrid variant powered by a diesel-driven generator was also available. The Orion VII replaced the fully low-floor Orion VI and high-floor Orion V buses, and was manufactured until its parent company DaimlerChrysler withdrew from the transit bus market in 2013.

Orion VII


Top: Orion VII Hybrid
Middle: Orion VII NG Hybrid
Bottom: Orion VII EPA10 Hybrid
Overview
ManufacturerOrion Bus Industries
Production
  • 2001–07 (original)
  • 2007–11 (Next Gen)
  • 2010–13 (EPA10)
Body and chassis
ClassTransit bus
Body styleMonocoque
LayoutRR
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • 190 in (4.83 m) (30' NG)[1]
  • 226 in (5.74 m) (35' NG)[1]
  • 286 in (7.26 m) (40' NG)[1]
Lengthover bumpers:
  • 33 ft 2.23 in (10.1 m) (30' NG)[1]
  • 36 ft 2.23 in (11.0 m) (35' NG)[1]
  • 41 ft 2.23 in (12.6 m) (40' NG)[1]
Width101.8 in (2.59 m)[1]
Height127 to 133 in (3.23 to 3.38 m)[2][3][4]
Curb weight
  • 27,950 to 30,220 lb (12,700 to 13,700 kg) (40')[2][3][5]
  • 29,730 to 31,610 lb (13,500 to 14,300 kg) (40' EPA10)[4][6][7]
Chronology
Predecessor
  • Orion V
  • Orion VI

Design

The two-piece windshield of the original Orion VII has the driver's windshield canted towards the back of the bus to reduce reflections; the second and third generations also had a two-piece windshield, but both panes are curved similarly and collectively resemble a single piece. Externally, the three generations may also be distinguished by the position of the top of the doors. In the original Orion VII, the top of both the front and rear doors is at the same level as the top of the side windows. In the Orion VII Next Generation (VIING), the top of the front door is at the level as the bottom of the standee windows. In the Orion VII EPA10, the tops of both doors are at the height of the bottom of the standee windows.

The Orion VII uses a monocoque stainless steel frame clad with aluminum and fiberglass panels.[2] The interior floor height is 15.5 inches (390 mm)[1] except for the portion starting at the rear wheels, which is elevated to provide mechanical clearance for the engine and transmission. All conventional (diesel/CNG) buses use longitudinally-mounted engines with a T-drive transmission coupling driving the rear axle.

Series hybrid

Lockheed Martin Control Systems (later acquired by BAE Systems)[8] developed the HybriDrive™ series hybrid propulsion system[9] used in the Orion VII.[10] In this system, the diesel engine is mounted transversely and drives a generator, and an electric motor drives the wheels directly.[11] A roof-mounted battery pack supplies additional power for acceleration and hill-climbing. The traction motor is rated at 250 hp (190 kW) continuous and 320 hp (240 kW) peak, offering a stall torque of 2,700 lb⋅ft (3,700 N⋅m). The traction motor also operates as a generator for regenerative braking, with the power returned to the battery pack.[10] According to a 2008 paper, the Orion VII hybrid buses, in service with New York City Transit since 2002, had per-mile maintenance costs comparable to CNG-fueled buses, with improved overall operating costs per mile mainly due to better fuel economy (3.00 to 3.22 mpg‑US (0.78 to 0.73 l/km) for the hybrids evaluated, compared to 2.33 mpg‑US (1.01 l/km) diesel equivalent for the CNG buses).[12] In 2008, it was reported that Toronto Transit Commission's Orion hybrid bus fleet suffered from early failure of lead-acid batteries in roof-mounted battery pack and much lower fuel savings than expected.[13][14][15]

Allison hybrid

Orion announced the Allison Hybrid H 40 EP two-mode parallel/series hybrid system would be offered starting in 2011.[16] It is not known whether any Orion VII buses were delivered with the Allison hybrid powertrain.

Deployment

Although New York City had previously evaluated ten Orion VI and five NovaBus RTS buses[17] equipped with series hybrid propulsion as a small pilot program starting in 1998,[18] the first major deployment of hybrid buses were the 125 Orion VII HybriDrive™ buses ordered in 2001/02.[19]

In 2013, New York MTA announced plans to convert approximately ​1⁄4 of their hybrid fleet to solely conventional diesel power;[20] after the warranty expired, the agency was not willing to bear the cost of traction motor replacement.[21] However, only one bus has been converted.

Main article: Orion VII (Toronto Transit Commission bus)

The Toronto Transit Commission is another notable operator of the Orion VII, having purchased buses in both diesel and series hybrid diesel-electric propulsion configurations between 2002 and 2012.

The San Francisco Municipal Railway (SF Muni) announced the acquisition of 86 series hybrid Orion VII buses in 2004, delivered in the last half of 2007;[22][23] however, the hybrid buses proved to be unreliable.[20]

Competition
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References
  1. "Product Specifications: Orion VII (2007 - 2009)". Orion Industries. Archived from the original on December 26, 2010.
  2. STURAA Test: 12 Year, 500,000 Mile Bus from Orion Bus Industries, Inc,; Model Orion VII (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. January 2002. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  3. Partial STURAA Test: 12 Year, 500,000 Mile Bus from Orion Bus Industries, Model Orion VII (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. February 2003. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  4. Partial STURAA Test: 12 Year, 500,000 Mile Bus from Daimler Buses North America Ltd., Model Orion VII EPA10 Diesel (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. April 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  5. Partial STURAA Test: 12 Year, 500,000 Mile Bus from Orion Bus Industries, Model Orion VII (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. December 2003. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  6. STURAA Test: 12 Year, 500,000 Mile Bus from Daimler Buses North America Ltd., Model Orion VII EPA10 (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. November 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  7. Partial STURAA Test: 12 Year, 500,000 Mile Bus from Daimler Buses North America Ltd., Model Orion VII EPA10 CNG (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. February 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  8. "BAE Systems Agrees to Acquire Control Systems Business From Lockheed Martin for $510 Million". Lockheed Martin. April 27, 2000. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  9. Grewe, T (May 1998). HybriDrive Proulsion System: A cleaner, more efficient way to go!. The 1998 Bus Operations, Technology and Management Conference. Phoenix, Arizona: American Public Transportation Association. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  10. Barnitt, Robb (March 2008). BAE/Orion Hybrid Electric Buses at New York City Transit: A Generational Comparison (PDF) (Report). National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  11. "Orion VII Hybrid Product Overview" (PDF). Daimler Buses North America. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2010.
  12. Barnitt, Robb A. (June 2008). In-Use Performance Comparison of Hybrid Electric, CNG, and Diesel Buses at New York City Transit (PDF). International Powertrains, Fuels & Lubricants. Shanghai, China: SAE International. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  13. "TTC wants to back out of hybrid bus purchase". Toronto. CTV News. October 22, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  14. Gray, Jeff (May 16, 2008). "TTC hybrid bus batteries losing their power". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  15. Alter, Lloyd. "Hybrid Buses a Bust in Toronto (23 Oct 2008)". TreeHugger. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  16. "Allison hybrid system to be offered on Orion VII". Metro Magazine. August 16, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  17. "Lockheed Martin to deliver more diesel electric propulsion systems for New York City buses". Dieselnet. January 13, 1999. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  18. Chandler, Kevin; Walkowicz, Kevin; Eudy, Leslie (July 2002). New York City Transit diesel hybrid-electric buses: Final results (PDF) (Report). Department of Energy / National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  19. "Advanced Technology Vehicles in Service: New York City Transit – Diesel Hybrid Electric Buses" (PDF). National Renewable Energy Laboratory. September 2001. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  20. Eskenazi, Joe (January 8, 2014). "Shock and Awe: The Little Hybrid Engine That Couldn't". SF Weekly. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  21. Young, Angelo (July 1, 2013). "New York City Scrapping Nearly A Fourth Of Its Hybrid Bus Engines For 100% Diesel Bus Engines". International Business Times. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  22. "Muni to Be First Transit Agency in California to Acquire Buses With Latest Hybrid Bus Technology" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. September 8, 2004. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  23. "7: Fleet Program". DRAFT FY 2008 SRTP for Public Review (PDF) (Report). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  • "Orion VII". Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board wiki. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  • "Orion VII 'NG'". Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board wiki. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
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