Vulcanaer: Retrofittable Air Hybrid for Buses Feasibility Project

The simplest way to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions from urban buses is to use less fuel. The Vulcanaer system reduces fuel usage in an urban bus by harvesting its braking energy as it stops and then storing it as compressed air for subsequent use. Vulcanaer is a retrofit technology, an air hybrid technology, that can easily and cheaply be applied to older buses. Therefore it can be used by bus fleet operators without any need for a government subsidy, something which is required for all other hybrid systems currently in use in the UK and Europe. The project aim is to clarify and confirm fuel savings, which are expected to be 5-10%, through application to a currently operating urban bus and running it on a real, every day bus route for several weeks. The compressed air could be used in several ways on a bus, and the project will also confirm which is the most effective. If successful, the project will not only save 3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year on every single bus it is installed on (and around £1,250 per bus per year), but lead to a new manufacturing business, new jobs, and provide a real contribution to cleaner air in cities.