Axess FC

ELDORADO NATIONAL CALIFORNIA, INC. Download PDF Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ElDorado National California, Inc. submitted a model Axess FC, hydrogen fuel cell powered, 38 seat (including the driver) 41 foot, 2 inch bus, for a 12 yr/500,000 mile STURAA test.  The odometer reading at the time of delivery was 289.5 miles.  Testing started on October 31, 2016 and was completed on February 06, 2018.  The Check-In section of the report provides a description of the bus and specifies its major components.

The primary part of the test program is the Structural Durability Test, which also provides the information for the Maintainability and Reliability results.  The Structural Durability Test was started on December 05, 2016 and was completed on November 13, 2017.

The interior of the bus is configured with seating for 38 passengers including the driver.  Eight seats fold up to accommodate two wheelchair positions. Free floor space will accommodate 33 standing passengers, resulting in a potential passenger capacity of 71 persons.  At 150 lb. per person, this load results in a measured gross vehicle weight of 44,200 lb. However, this results in overloading the front axle by over 410 lb. Therefore, weights equivalent to two standees were removed to bring the measured front axle weight to its GAWR, within the accuracy of the scales. Under these conditions, the gross load is 10,350 lb. and the measured GVW is 43,900.  The first segment of the Structural Durability Test was performed with the bus loaded to a GVW of 43,900 lb.  The middle segment was performed at a seated load weight of 39,230 lb. and the final segment was performed at a curb weight of 33,520 lb.  Durability driving resulted in unscheduled maintenance and failures that involved a variety of subsystems.  A description of failures, and a complete and detailed listing of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance is provided in the Maintainability section of this report.

Accessibility, in general, was adequate, components covered in Section 1.3 (Repair and/or Replacement of Selected Subsystems) along with all other components encountered during testing, were found to be readily accessible and no restrictions were noted.           

The Reliability section compiles failures that occurred during Structural Durability Testing.  Breakdowns are classified according to subsystems.  The data in this section are arranged so that those subsystems with more frequent problems are apparent.  The problems are also listed by class as defined in Section 2.  The test bus encountered no Class 1 or Class 4 failures.  Of the 50 reported failures, two were Class 2 and 48 were Class 3.

The Safety Test, (a double-lane change, obstacle avoidance test) was safely performed in both right-hand and left-hand directions up to a maximum test speed of 45 mph.  The performance of the bus is illustrated by a speed vs. time plot.  Acceleration and gradeability test data are provided in Section 4, Performance.  The average time to obtain 50 mph was 36.05 seconds.  The Stopping Distance phase of the Brake Test was completed with the following results; for the Uniform High Friction Test average stopping distances were 44.89’ at 20 mph, 92.49’ at 30 mph, 156.02’ at 40 mph and 208.10’ at 45 mph. 

The average stopping distance for the Uniform Low Friction Test was 45.26’.  There was no deviation from the test lane during the performance of the Stopping Distance phase.  During the Stability phase of Brake Testing the test bus experienced no deviation from the test lane but did experience pull to the left during both approaches to the Split Friction Road surface.  The Parking Brake phase was completed with the test bus maintaining the parked position for the full five minute period with no slip or roll observed in both the uphill and downhill positions.

The Shakedown Test produced a maximum final loaded deflection of 0.004 inches with a permanent set ranging between 0.000 to 0.004 inches under a distributed static load of 26,625 lb.  The Distortion Test was completed with all subsystems, doors and escape mechanisms operating properly.  No water leakage was observed throughout the test.  All subsystems operated properly. 

The Static Towing Test was performed using a target load (towing force) of 40,224 lb.  All four front pulls were completed to the full test load with no damage or deformation observed.  The Dynamic Towing Test was performed by means of a front-lift tow.  The towing interface was accomplished using a hydraulic under-lift wrecker.  The bus was towed without incident and no damage resulted from the test.  The Jacking and Hoisting Tests were also performed without incident. The bus was found to be stable on the jack stands, and the minimum jacking clearance observed with a tire deflated was 5.9 inches.

A Fuel Economy Test was run on simulated central business district, arterial, and commuter courses.  The results were 3.09 M/lb, 2.53 M/lb, and 4.27 M/lb respectively; with an overall average of 3.14 M/lb.

A series of Interior and Exterior Noise Tests was performed.  These data are listed in Section 7.1 and 7.2 respectively.

No Emissions Test was performed, as this is a hydrogen bus.