WH1 - Wright Pulsar Gemini Hybrid Vehicle:

WH1 is the sole diesel-electric hybrid bus operated by Dublin Bus. It features a Ford 2.4litre diesel engine and incorporates Siemens hybrid technology with lithium ion high-capacity batteries. See irishbuses feature providing more details on the technology and its first day in service with photos from the renowned photographer Patrick Losty.

WH1 on the 20B at the Ardlea Road terminus on the 16/11/2009.

WH1 on the 20B on the 16/11/2009.

WH1 has been out of service for a few months. It has previously spent most of its time on route 16 (Santry-Ballinteer), however does occasionally make an appearance on the 20B, as seen here by the photos on the 16th November 2009.

WH1 at the Ardlea Road terminus on the 16/10/2009. Note the long shadows.

A side profile of WH1 at Ardlea Road on the 16/11/2009.

A rear shot of WH1 at the Ardlea Road terminus on 16/11/2009.

The Ardlea Road terminus is a nice spot for photographs. It is located just off Ardlea Road on Maryfield Drive, the terminus is south facing and therefore is generally well lit. There is usually very little traffic.

WH1 preparing itself for its return departure to Eden Quay on the 16/11/2009.

As noted previously the Hybrid bus has been predominantly on Route 16. A couple of photos below.

WH1 awaiting driver changeover on the 16 at Parnell Square on the 28/8/2009.

WH1 on O'Connell Street operating Route 16 to Ballinteer on the 31/12/2009.

WH1 went missing from the city fleet for the last two months. It had been returned to the manufacturers for some much needed repair work and updating. Hopefully it will be much more reliable now than it has previously been with Dublin Bus. From my journey on it today (05/08/10) it sounded like the battery was in use much more than it was just before it was sent back to Ballymena, however that is just an unqualified observation. Shuddering with the regenerative braking is still there, but otherwise the bus made very good progress to and from Ballinteer with seemingly no issues. Some photographs of WH1 back in service on the 5th August 2010 are below:

WH1 at the Kingston, Ballinteer terminus, of ROute 16 on the 5th August 2010.

A nearside shot of WH1 at its Kingston Terminus on the 5th August 2010.

A side profile of WH1 at the Kingston Terminus on the 5th August 2010. RV548 is parked very close behind.

WH1 at the first outbound stop at Kingston on the Brehon Field Road Ballinteer on the 5th August 2010 about to depart to its northern terminus of Santry.

From these photos, especially from the side profile shot it can be seen that colour of the front of the bus clearly differs from that of the rest of the vehicle, which would suggest that a new front has been applied. The lettering on the front of the bus detailing Lower Emissions and Hybrid Technology differs in font to that upon WH1s first delivery. Also it can be seen that the nearside wing mirror is much smaller than the stanard size of Dublin Bus specification which again differs from WH1s configuration prior to being sent to Ballymena for repairs.

See also http://www.dublinbus.cc/wh1.htm, http://www.irishterminus.com/goingreen.htm and http://www.dublinbuses.com/wity2008pl.html for more excellent photos of the Hybrid vehicle.