Do alternative fuels really help the environment? Are they safer for our kids? The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) is hoping to find the answers by using its state-of-the art, portable, emission testing equipment on Brazos Valley school busses.
The testing is being performed at TTI’s test track at the Riverside Campus. The tests will compare the emissions of standard commercial diesel fuel (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel or ULSD) with two alternative blends of biodiesel (B20). Because the equipment used in the tests is portable, the results will show emissions from actual school bus driving conditions. Up until now, testing had been limited to the laboratory. “We are excited about how precise this equipment will gauge emissions,” says Dr. Dennis Perkinson, the Program Manger of the Transportation modeling program at TTI. “The results should remove any doubts about which fuel is better for school children and the environment.”
The fuel comparison study is sponsored by the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPOG). The results could determine what fuels will be used by school busses in the Austin area and, perhaps, the entire state.
You are invited to view the school bus emission testing on Friday, July 21 between 10:30 and 11:30 am. TTI researchers will be on hand to answer any questions you have.