GM receives contract from King County for 500 hybrid buses

GM's dual mode hybrid buses will save 1.1 million gallons of fuel yearly

King County, WA awarded GM today with a contract for up to 500 GM hybrid buses. Already, King County has a fleet of 214 hybrid buses on the road today.

“We at General Motors share King County’s vision to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Tom Stephens, GM Group Vice President, Global Powertrain and Global Quality. “GM’s commitment to improving fuel economy, reducing vehicle emissions, and developing electrically driven vehicles is not a short-term strategy. We’re in this game for the long term. We see energy and environmental leadership as a critical element of GM’s ongoing turnaround plan and a key part of our business strategy. That is why we are introducing four all-new hybrid models in 2007, which is more than any automaker has ever introduced in one calendar year.”

Later this year GM's dual mode hybrid powertrain will make its way into the GMC Yukon hybrid and the Chevy Tahoe hybrid, followed by a number of other hybrid vehicles in 2008. Already, GM offers 2 mild hybrids, the Saturn Vue hybrid and the Saturn Aura hybrid.