East New York

That means all the new amenities will be stripped.......

LOL.... no, not really. It will actually have a few more features than demo bus # 1292

The 1st NG built to specs rolls off the assembly line on Monday(3/10)! I'll try to get a pic if possible!

Its electric, it has a 3rd Rail- Just like a subway. It has Modified R44 Cars.

oh ok, thanks!

Ok, no laughing at me..... How does the SIR work/operate? I've never been on it, but I didn't see a third rail.

Uh? What's up with this? :confused:

I was just thinking the same thing when I read your post. It's really interesting to hear that since we don't tend to hear that often.

Yes that is torque for days.

LMAO! And to think the RTS's, O5's, and C40's only average 200-240hp, and 900 ft-lbs torque. The Artics are about 250-260hp w/ 1100 ft-lbs

So whats so special about the O7 NG? Well actually, a whole lot more than looks! The NG O7's will have many improvements over the 1st Gen O7's. With the eminent discontinuation of the O5, Daimler has invested heavily in the new bus, which is quite different from the ones currently rolling. Among the new features, drivers will no longer have to worry about cold feet, as the NG' have a new floor heat vent, and an added recirculated air feature, which will heat buses much faster after a layover. The BAE HybriDrive System has also been revised. The new system, which is mated to the 5.9L 6-cyl Cummins ISL C8.3G ISB, will produce 40 more horses, to top out at 330HP, and 2,700 ft-lbs of low end torque. The engine fan has also been improved to reduce the chances of overheating. The acceleration will be quicker, and smoother, no roll-back on hills, and will be the lowest polluting commercial bus in production.

The Hawker Siddeley lead acid batteries of the 1st Gen O7's will be dropped for new A123 Systems Lithium Ion batteries. These batteries are of lighter weight, last longer, and will aid in significant cost reductions. They will improve the fuel economy by 10-15% over the current rolling stock, which is up to 40% better than standard diesel buses. The buses will have 40% lower maintenance costs, and are 24% cheaper to operate than current O7's, with more than 21,000 gallons of fuel saved over the life of each bus! Life= 12yr/500,000 mi. No new driver training is needed.

The first bus built to MTA specs is currently in production, and will roll off the assembly line on March 10, 2008. The next day, Daimler will begin what they call "100% Configuration Audit." This is the process of which the entire bus will be inspected from bumper to bumper. MTA will also assist in this process, to ensure the bus is to specs. Upon completion, bus #2 will roll off the line on May 5, followed by #3 on May 26, #'s 4 & 5 on June 16, and so on throught September, when they will ramp up production to 6 busses per day.

At this time, numbers and depots have yet to be assigned, but as soon as they are, I will be notified. At this time, Orion believes they will receive the assignments by the end of July, when the 1st 14 buses will be complete. By that time, bus 1292 will most likely have been returned to Orion, as it is not built to MTA specs.