Apr 24 2015
The observation of Earth Day began 45 years ago and as of 2012, the Earth Day Network registered more than one billion actions in the advance of sustainability. This momentum continues to build toward the next billion actions as people around the world take strides to protect the environment and ensure that future generations grow up in healthy, vital communities. At BAE Systems, we too strive to protect the environment and are playing our part to move toward the next billion actions in advance of sustainability.
We look to innovate in ways that will move the world in a more efficient direction. In fact, our HybriDrive® Solutions technology currently carries 750 million passengers annually on environmentally-friendly vehicles, which eliminates 110,000 tons of carbon dioxide and saves 10 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. These savings are equivalent to taking 19,000 cars off the roads or planting 73,000 acres of trees.
Buses powered by our HybriDrive propulsion systems are carrying passengers in all parts of the world from Seattle and New York to London, Paris, and even Hong Kong. But it doesn’t stop there. This year we will power more than 5,000 buses with hybrid electric, electric drive, and hydrogen fuel cell technologies for transit, as cities around the world realize we must decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
We’re proud to produce products that help provide a safer environment. Our latest innovation, HybriDrive Series-E, is the first hybrid propulsion system in North American transit to offer engine-off technology for bus operators to employ while stopping for passengers. This new anti-idling feature shuts off the bus’ engine as passengers board and disembark, reducing air and noise pollution, as well as fuel consumption. Additionally, transit agencies use HybriDrive Series-E in bus depots to protect their employees who work in areas where as many as 300 buses may be driving in and out. Cities are looking to implement this new technology near hospitals, pedestrian malls, and any areas where there is sensitivity to noise and pollution.
We’re proud of the efforts our employees make every day to provide sustainable choices, whether in transit or in their daily activities. Celebrate Earth Day today and every day by making commitments that protect our planet, whether that means recycling, riding mass transit, or turning off lights when you’re not in the room. Secure a sustainable future – today!