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A growing focus toward sustainabili- ty, both on the show floor and at oper- ations themselves, was a key theme at this year's BusCon, which was held for the first time at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis in September. At least six electric vehicles, ranging from passenger vans to cutaway buses to a mid-sized transit bus and a trolley bus, were featured both on the show floor and at a special ride-along held in conjunc- tion with the show. Complete Coach Works (CCW), which won BusCon's Best Green Initia- tive award, featured a converted all-elec- tric trolley bus that was used at the Uni- versity of California, Riverside. The 33.5-foot trolley has a range of 85 miles, with a charge time of 3.5 hours. BYD showcased its 26-foot Mid-E bus, featuring its iron-phosphate battery with a 182.5 kWh battery capacity, an AC syn- chronous motor, and a ZF low-floor axle/ BYD in-wheel traction motor axle chas- sis, while Ameritrans introduced its Eco- Charge coach, which transports up to 12 passengers and features custom built-to- order options to the mid-size market. Additional electric vehicle debuts in- cluded Phoenix Motorcars' Zeus, Zenith Motors' Electric Shuttle Van and VIA Motors' shuttle van. There were also plenty of propane un- veilings on the show floor. ICOM North America LLC is partner- ing with Winnebago Industries for the installation and distribution of its Icom JTG II bi-fuel and mono-fuel liquid pro- pane autogas (LPG) injection system in Winnebago's Metro Link buses, with a version of the bus on display for the first time anywhere. The partnership, in conjunction with Winnebago Metro Link North Ameri- can master distributor Metro Worldwide LLC, will allow work-ready, alternative- ly-fueled buses to be delivered direct to dealers and end users. Metro Worldwide will also offer Icom liquid propane auto- gas conversions for existing bus fleets, as well as full-line sales, service, installation and warranty services. Meanwhile, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) showcased a pro- pane autogas concept version of its pop- ular S2C chassis. The S2C LPG concept FCCC show- cased at BusCon is powered by the "PIthon," an 8.0 LPG engine from Pow- ertrain Integration with a factory-in- stalled CleanFuel USA LPG system. The 60-gallon, between-the-rails LPG tanks can provide a range of up to 300 miles. Key features and benefits of the S2C LPG concept, include a quieter-running engine; reduced maintenance costs and downtime; and significantly reduced fuel costs for buses in continuous-running applications. Further interest in propane usage was generated by the educational por- tion of BusCon, during the "Implement- ing Propane Autogas Vehicles" case study, presented by Lynn McLean of the Mich.-based Flint Mass Transportation Authority (MTA). McLean was joined by ROUSH Clean- Tech's Todd Mouw and AmeriGas' War- ren Patterson. The group provided an overview of the technology itself, while also focusing heavily on MTA's real-life experience with the alternative fuel, in- cluding the initial challenges it faced as well as the efficiencies they've found through the transition. Additionally, the Propane Educa- tion & Research Council and METRO recognized six top fleets for their recent adoptions of propane, during BusCon's Breakfast Awards Ceremony, which also included the Mid-Sized Bus Manufac- turers Association honoring the top 10 transit fleets with the most mid-sized ve- hicles in operation. Meanwhile, the Keynote Address at the Opening General Session entitled, "The Mental Edge," featured Olympic Performance Psychology Consultant Dr. Craig Manning, who discussed how high performance is really not difficult to achieve if you just understand critical laws of the mind and how to adhere to them, meaning the key to success in life is in the acquisition of skills. Dr. Manning's key takeaway is to al- ways focus on the positive rather than the negative as a way to continue to grow and be successful in all aspects of your life. Stay tuned for more coverage in METRO's November/December issue. BusCon returns to the Indianapolis Convention Center in 2015, from Sept. 28 to 30. Visit busconexpo.com for info. 6 < m ETRO m AGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 metro-magazine.com metro news Green vehicle technology plays major role at BusCon 2014 Expo Freightliner Custom Chassis, one of 70 vehicle manufacturers in attendance, showcased a propane-autogas concept version of its popular S2C chassis.