Gillig Low Floor

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Gillig Low Floor
Gillig Low Floor
Years of manufacture 1996 to present
Length 29 to 40 feet
Width 102 inches
Power/Fuel Diesel, diesel-electric hybrid, CNG, electric trolley, battery-electric
Gillig Low Floor

The Gillig Low Floor, sometimes nicknamed the "Advantage", is a low floor transit and shuttle bus. The chassis is constructed from stainless steel, and the body is constructed from aluminum. The Low Floor has two derivative models: the Gillig BRT and Gillig Trolley Replica.

Design history

What would become the Gillig Low Floor was developed for the Hertz Corporation as a courtesy shuttle bus dubbed the H2000LF. It was commissioned by Hertz who had wanted to offer their customers, particularly to those with luggage and with limited mobility, a bus that was easily accessible. The bus featured one door at the centre, carpeted floor, and waist-high luggage racks along one side of the bus.[1] The low floor bus would later be made available to other companies and adapted for transit use with the first orders being placed in 1998.

Early Gillig Low Floor buses, including the H2000LF, had a smaller front windshield with a more pronounced destination sign cap. The front end was revised with an enlarged windshield beginning with the 2002 model in late 2001. Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority were among the first to take delivery of Low Floors with the new windshield. In 2005, a Gillig BRT front option was added, debuting with Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, while a Gillig Trolley Replica option was also added.

In the autumn of 2017, Gillig introduced an alternate appearance for the Low Floor. It has BRT headlights and a raised "Plus" roofline that merges into the front cap. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority was the first to take delivery of such buses.

Alternative fuels

In 2002, Gillig delivered the first diesel-electric hybrid bus to Metro Transit in the Twin Cities. Two additional hybrid buses were subsequently delivered to Metro Transit in 2003.

After design refinements, Gillig made the diesel-electric hybrid option available in 2004. Design changes include adding a rooftop battery unit to the rear. The Allison parallel hybrid system was the initial option, and an option for the Voith parallel DIWAhybrid system was made available in 2008. The Central Contra Costa Transit Authority became the first customer to order the Voith option. The BAE Systems HybriDrive series system became an option in 2011.[2]

Gillig partnered with Enviromech Industries in March 2010 to supply CNG systems for use in Gillig buses.[3] Gillig was able to bid on low floor CNG contracts and won their first CNG order for the Seattle Tacoma Airport car rental shuttle.

On November 5, 2016, the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority unveiled the first fully-electric-powered Gillig Low Floor. The 29-foot Trolley Replica buses features an electric drivetrain with accessories from BAE Systems. The bus can be charged wirelessly during layovers and can be plugged in at the garage while it is out of service. The buses were funded in part by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration.[4]

At the 2017 American Public Transportation Association Expo, Cummins and Gillig announced a partnership to develop and offer Cummins’ electric drivetrain in Gillig buses. The battery electric Gillig Low Floor was unveiled in May 2019. It uses a direct-drive traction motor with peak torque of 3500 Newton-metres. A 444 kilowatt hour lithium ion battery provides an estimated range of 150 miles. The bus uses plug-in charging. Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica, California was the first to receive the battery electric Low Floor.[5] Gillig introduced a new battery design in 2023. Supplied by Akasol, the battery systems are available in capacities of 490, 588, and 686 kilowatt-hours.[6] This allows for an estimated range of 170, 205, 239 miles, respectively. In addition to plug-in charging, Gillig also offers pantograph and induction charging.

Specifications

More photos

  • Original front design (1996-2001) on a 29' Gillig Low Floor.

  • Current front design (2002-present) on a 40' Gillig Low Floor.

  • Original rear design (1996-2006) on a 29' Gillig Low Floor with no center door.

  • Gillig Low Floor with hybrid option.

  • Gillig Low Floor with BRT front option and hybrid option

  • Battery electric Gillig Low Floor Plus with redesigned front end.

  • Interior of Lane Transit District 6206.

  • Driver's console of Lane Transit District 6206.

Operators

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Demonstrator and engineering units

Fleet
umber 		Thumbnail Build
Date 		VIN Engine Transmission Notes
Norwalk Transit System 7052-a.jpg 1996 15GGD1810T1070000 Cummins C8.3
1997 15GGD2110V1070002 Cummins M11 Allison B400R
  • G21D102N4 40ft demo/engineering bus
  • Submitted for Altoona test in December 1997
1998 15GGB2214W1070364 Detroit Diesel Series 40 Allison B400R
1999 15GGE2210X1090250 Detroit Diesel Series 40 Allison
  • First 29ft Gillig Low Floor built
  • G22E102R2 29ft demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from November 1, 1999 to June 5, 2000
  • To Tri Delta Transit as 9996
9997 1999 15GGE2213X1090291 Detroit Diesel Series 40 Allison
2000 15GGD2114Y1072257 Cummins ISM Allison B400R
  • G21D102N4 40ft demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from January 23, 2001 to July 30, 2001[7]
  • Sold to Allison
2004 15GGD201241073449 Detroit Diesel Series 50 Allison B400R
  • G20D102N4 40ft demo/engineering bus
  • Sold to Allison
2004 15GGD191941074403 Cummins ISB Allison EP40
hybrid system
2004 15GGD211641076000 Cummins ISM Voith D864.3E
  • G21D102N4 40ft Voith demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from June 21, 2004 to November 5, 2004[9]
2006 15GGD301X61077533 Cummins ISB6.7 Allison EP40
hybrid system
  • G30D102N4 40ft Hybrid-Electric demo/engineering bus
  • Sold to Allison
2008
  • 40ft Suburban commuter-configured demo bus
07/27/2010 15GGD2717A1176562 Cummins Westport ISL G Allison B400R
  • G27D102N4 40ft Cummins ISL-G CNG demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from November 18, 2011 to May 13, 2011.[10]
02/28/2011 15GGE2718B1092262 Cummins Westport ISL G Allison B400R
  • G27E102R2 29ft CNG demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from June 7, 2011 to Jan. 30, 2012.[11]
01/16/2013 15GGD2713C1180773 Cummins Westport ISL G Voith D864.5
  • 2012 model
  • G27D102N4 40ft CNG demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from March 28, 2013 to July 8, 2013[12]
2017 15GGE2810H3093226 BAE Systems
Series-EV 		BAE Systems
HDS200
09/14/2017 15GGD3016H3190192 Cummins L9 BAE Systems
HybriDrive Series-E
  • G30D102N4 40ft BAE HybriDrive Hybrid-Electric demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from January 16, 2018 to February 14, 2018[14]
  • King County Metro 7300
09/20/2018 15GGD2713J3189037 Cummins L9 Allison H 50 EP
hybrid system
  • G27D102N4 40ft Allison H 50 EP Hybrid Electric demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from November 19, 2018 to December 6, 2018[15]
  • Golden Gate Transit 1901
03/26/2019 15GGD3117K3190045 Cummins Westport L9N Voith D864.6
  • G31D102N4 40ft Cummins L9N CNG demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from June 27, 2019 to December 10, 2019[16]
02/04/2020 15GGD2810L3189322 Cummins BES Direct-Drive
  • G28D102N4 40ft Cummins BES Battery-Electric demo/engineering bus
  • Tested at Altoona from July 29, 2020 to April 26, 2021[17]

Preserved coaches

Year Thumbnail VIN Original Owner Fleet Number Current Owner
2001 ? Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation 21?? Private owner residing in Detroit, MI or Warren, MI.

References

  1. ↑ Hertz Introduces the H2000LF -- The Bus of the Future (press release). The Hertz Corporation. 19 May 1997. Retrieved on 02 March 2014.
  2. ↑ BAE Systems HybriDrive® Series Green Propulsion System Orders Surpass 3,500 (Press release). 23 May 2011. Retrieved on 28 May 2011,
  3. ↑ EMI Natural Gas Fuel Systems for Gillig Buses. 27 March 2010. NGV Global News. Retrieved on 28 May 2011
  4. ↑ [http://www.baesystems.com/en/article/zero-emission-buses-in-service-at-walnut-creek Zero-emission Buses in Service at Walnut Creek. Press release. BAE Systems, 31 Jan. 2017. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.
  5. ↑ Roman, Alex. “A Closer Look at GILLIG, Cummins Battery Electric Bus Partnership.” Metro Magazine, 01 July 2019.
  6. ↑ “GILLIG selects Akasol and will launch in 2023 an improved battery-electric bus”. Press release. 09 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 0101 The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  8. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 0405 The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  9. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 0410 The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  10. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 1016 The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  11. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 1109 The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  12. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 1306 The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  13. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 1715-P The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  14. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 1801-P The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  15. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 1813-P The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  16. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 1911 The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
  17. ↑ Bus Testing Report - 2020-05 The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (Retrieved April 28, 2023)
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