Performance of an Articulated Bus Prototype Fueled by Natural Gas to be Used in Colombia's Massive Transport Systems

This paper shows the test results for the evaluation of the performance of an articulated bus prototype fueled with compressed natural gas (CNG). The results will be used to establish the technical viability of the fleet implementation in the mass transport systems of the biggest Colombian cities. In order to carry out the evaluation, some SAE recommended practices were modified to apply to this kind of bus. Performance parameters like tanks filling time, acceleration, startability, driveability, fuel consumption, and flexibility were obtained. The tests were made in two different cities, the first one was Bogota, Colombia's capital with 10 million inhabitants and located at 2,600 meters above sea level (masl). The second city was Cali, with 4 million inhabitants and located at 900 masl. The results shows that it is feasible to implement this articulated bus in the city of Cali, whereas in the city of Bogota some modifications in the fuel system are needed, since the bus prototype does not fulfill the acceleration requirements imposed by the local authorities for mass transport systems. On the other hand the fuel consumption is similar to that of the articulated buses fueled with diesel fuel that actually operates in Bogota.