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.
Number: |
1611 |
Model: |
Axess FC |
Manufacturer: |
ELDORADO NATIONAL CALIFORNIA, INC. |
Vin Number: |
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