In message , Recliner
writes

I was in Seattle a couple of months ago and noticed that all their bendy
buses proudly claim to be hybrids. The buses certainly didn't look new,
so presumably have older technology than the London buses, and Seattle
is a lot more hilly than central London. They seemed to get up the hills
all right, though I've no idea what size diesel engines they have.

Seattle's dual-mode Breda buses date back to 1989, but were not very
reliable and have been phased out to be replaced by a system developed
by General Motors, in which the diesel engine powers the wheels as well
as charging the battery. Unfortunately, they haven't delivered the
expected reductions in diesel usage:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transp...9_metro13.html
--
Paul Terry